Wally Akervik

2022 Inductee
Wally Akervik was born in Duluth, Minn., and was a four-sport athlete at Duluth Central High School, helping his Trojan team reach the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament.

Ann Ninnemann

2022 Inductee
Ann Ninnemann was born in St. Paul, Minn., and began playing ringette at the age of four.  By her own admission, she played ringette through the sixth game and then hesitantly transitioned to ice hockey in the seventh grade.


Pat "Duffy" Dyer

2022 Inductee
Pat “Duffy” Dyer was born in Virginia, Minn., and played youth hockey in that Iron Range community.  After high school, he graduated from UW-Superior with a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and would go on to a long career at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth.

Rebecca Hamilton-Hildebrandt

2022 Inductee
Rebecca Hamilton-Hildebrandt (or “Coach Becky” as she is better known locally) was born and raised in Sauk Prairie and began playing hockey in 1982, the first year that Sauk Prairie had a hockey association.

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.

Paul Doud

2024 Inductee
Paul Doud was born in Houghton, Mich., and played youth hockey in the Copper Country Youth Hockey program in Houghton.

Molly Engstrom

2024 Inductee
Molly Engstrom was born and raised in the small northwestern town of Siren, Wis., and played youth hockey from the ages of six to twelve in nearby Webster.

Sue Pope

2024 Inductee
Sue Pope from Madison has been an “influencer” when it comes to girls’ and women’s hockey long before that term became popular on social media.

  • Jerry Kennedy - 2011

Jerry Kennedy was born and raised on the east side of Madison, and like many people came to ice hockey late, since by his own admission, as a youngster he could only skate good enough to hold onto the boards.  Though he was just a fan in high school and college, he more than made up for it as an adult as he began serving the sport in numerous capacities over four decades. Kennedy coached for more than 10 years in the Southside and Eastside Youth programs and served on both local boards as well.  He served on the Dane County Youth Hockey Council (now Region 4 Youth Hockey Council) for more than 30 years, and spent two years as president.  Kennedy has served on the WAHA Board since 1988, and is Chairman of the State Tournament Committee, and the Vice President for the Bantam level.  Kennedy has also served more than two decades as an On-Ice Official and as the State Coordinator of the USA Hockey Officiating Evaluation and also as the Central District Supervisor of Officials for Wisconsin.  He has been the USA Hockey Officiating Development Program Camp Director for more than 10 years.

Kennedy is a very familiar face in the Kohl Center and has served as a WCHA Off-Ice Official in the Men's Program for almost 20 years, and in the women’s program since its inception almost a decade ago. No matter what the sport, if the team is dressed in Badger Cardinal Red, Kennedy won’t be far away from the contest. He will also be found in the old Dane County Coliseum each March serving as an Off-Ice Official for the WIAA State Hockey Tournament.

Though his duties in the sport of ice hockey are numerous, Kennedy has many other interests including golf, volleyball, softball and woodworking.  In his younger years, he was involved in building and racing cars.  Kennedy has an abiding interest in music and dancing, and is relatively famous for his version of the Electric Slide.  Kennedy is retired from AT&T where he was a Telephone Tech and Manager, and, prior to retirement, received the Volunteer of the Year Award in Madison from AT&T.  Kennedy and his wife Vikki have three boys, Matt, Jeremy and Cory, and look forward to the next generation as their grandsons begin their hockey playing careers.