Karyn Bye

2023 Inductee
Karyn Bye was born and raised in River Falls where she played youth hockey in a generation where she needed to hide her gender to play, and, in fact, used her initials K.L. Bye as an identity, rather then her first name.

Sis Paulsen

2023 Inductee
Sis Paulsen was born and raised in Eau Claire. She played youth hockey for the Eau Claire Youth Hockey Association, and high school hockey for Eau Claire North High School.

Terry Watkins

2023 Inductee
Terry Watkins was born and raised in St. Paul, Minn., where he played youth hockey followed by high school hockey at Cretin High School.

  • Louis Erickson - 1999
Louis Erickson of Shorewood was one of the early promoters of hockey in the State of Wisconsin, Erickson would coach kids who would later become the founding generation of the modern era of ice hockey in the Badger State.

 A graduate of Carroll College where he won fifteen letters, Erickson went on to coach hockey, football, tennis, track, cross country and basketball at the high school level, as well as serving as the athletic director at Shorewood High School for 27 years.

Erickson  started ice hockey at Shorewood High in 1927 with the Milwaukee River serving as the ice sheet.  After losing the rink numerous times to January thaws, he  managed to have the rink moved to one of the high school’s athletic fields in order to provide a safer and more stable environment on which to play the game.  Players from his teams went on to play college, senior and club hockey.  Erickson organized the Southeastern Prep Hockey League which included teams from Wauwatosa, St. Francis, Milwaukee Country Day, Messmer, St. John’s, Northwestern Prep and Marquette.

Erickson  directly affected the lives of many young men in all sports, but paid particular attention to hockey and was labeled in at least one news article as a “hockey nut”.  He not only passed on a love of the sport on the ice, but also took many of his players to Chicago for Blackhawk games at his own expense.
 
Besides coaching hundreds of players during his career, he made the ice sheet available to hundreds of more youngsters and developed new players by encouraging and teaching skating and hockey skills.  Promoting the sport of hockey, Erickson helped other teams in the metro area such as the Milwaukee Flyers and the Milwaukee Buicks, and encouraged amateur play by organizing a county adult league for Sunday afternoon.