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Aurora Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration enshrines Bentolila, Rosen, Biondic, Stevenson, and Aurora Church Dodgers

November 12, 2026   ·   0 Comments

Emcee Rod Black was in fine form on Thursday night at the 13th Annual Aurora Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration at the opulent Royal Venetian Mansion.

He promised humorously that “We’re going to finish this thing before 2:30 AM,” amused the audience with a string of abbreviations and acronyms he’s worked for over the decades, and delineated the purpose of the evening: “We’re highlighting the stars in the city of lights—in Aurora, named after the Northern Lights.”

After his celestial allusions, the legendary broadcaster at TSN and CTV and current radio host on AM 640 welcomed hundreds of guests to the lavish proceedings during which four individuals—long-time AMHA President and coach Joe Bentolila; Paralympian Gold Medalist and TSN Broadcaster Paul Rosen; Ultramarathoner George Biondic; and former NHLer Shayne Stevenson—were enshrined in the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame.

The Hall’s main event of the year—sponsored by Canadian Tire Aurora and Jump Start Aurora—was filled with pomp and pageantry. A five-man Colour Guard from the venerable Aurora Legion led inductees and The Class of 2026 to the stage. The procession of Legion veterans and inductees were piped in solemnly by SAC student John Reid whose rendition of “Scotland the Brave” stirred the soul.

After the engaging introductory formalities were completed, Black invited newly-reelected Mayor Tom Mrakas to deliver a keynote address prior to the inductions.

Mayor Mrakas noted that “Every community has a history and tonight we honor those people who have made extraordinary contributions to our community.”

After delineating concisely and reverently the inspirational achievements of The Class of 2026, Mayor Mrakas closed with a personal touch:  “To all inductees—George, Joe, Paul, Shayne, and the Church Dodgers—the time has come for your achievements to be celebrated. You’ve provided examples to be followed. That’s how a legacy lives. Aurora rises to celebrate you.”

In addition to the enshrinement of local heroes like Bentolila, Rosen, Biondic, and Stevenson, attendees witnessed the first team to be immortalized in the Hall. In a nod to the rich history of Oldtimers’ Recreation hockey in the area, a trailblazing team known for their charity work around Aurora and their international exhibition games was inducted.  The term “Aurora Church Dodgers” was coined to describe the mischievous boys’ propensity to miss religious services due to their Sunday morning ice times at the ACC.

Although they didn’t darken many Church doors with their shadows, the Dodgers raised significant sums over decades of community service for the Rotary Club. Their international trip to Sweden in 1974 cemented their cultural status when the towns of Leksand and Aurora were twinned because of the team’s fun-loving ways in Scandinavia versus myriad pro teams on the ice and during the post-game parties.

It was appropriate that the team’s first captain, Tom McPherson, accepted the induction on behalf of the 13 Dodgers on stage. After teammate George Dell offered a series of humorous anecdotes about the Dodgers’ capacity for carousing, the equally-amiable McPherson observed that between 1967 and 1998, the trailblazing, barnstorming team really enjoyed its exhibition tours.

“We played tournaments in Montreal, Sweden, Niagara Falls, New York—we didn’t win many but we played.  We were told by one opponent that ‘You’re better with beer openers than hockey sticks.’  The fellowship we had was as important as the sport itself.  It was a big part of my life.  Thanks for having us here tonight.”

As the community-spirited Dodgers departed the stage, Black reassured them that “God does love you—even though you didn’t go to church.”

The evening’s festivities featured a heavy focus on hockey and reinforced the Town’s strong hockey roots.

Current AMHA President Corby Saltzman was summoned to the stage by Emcee Black and slipped the maroon ASHOF jacket on to his predecessor Joe Bentolila.

Black noted the extent of Bentolila’s impact: “Joe Bentolila is one of those great leaders—and he’s had more arena coffee than anyone in the area. He’s influenced so many kids, so many teams, and the greatest player to come out of the area: Connor McDavid.”

The affable 25-year President of the AMHA was taken by the honor of enshrinement.

“Getting inducted into the Hall of Fame is something I never imagined,” he said. “Over those 25 years, I had the opportunity to serve in several positions and as President, I had the ability to listen and to stand behind my decisions.  The bigger picture was about the children. It was about much more than winning and losing—it was about making things better for the next generation.”

As Black noted, Bentolila was instrumental in shaping a generational talent and offered his engaging story about providing six-year-old Connor McDavid with his first rep hockey playing opportunity as an Aurora Tiger—a connection that the Bentolila cherishes and was reinforced by the gifts that McDavid sent to Bentolila’s surprise retirement party at the ACC in 2023. 

Black invited another area NHLer to the stage and complimented Shayne Stevenson’s connection to the Town.
“From Aurora to the NHL, Shayne has never forgotten where he’s come from,” he said.

Stevenson offered his thanks to a pair of Aurora Sports Hall of Famers—his rep hockey coaches Lowell McClenny and Colin Graham.

“At this time, I’d like to thank Lowell and Colin—I first met them when I was 11.  My dream—like many kids—was to play in the NHL. I didn’t grasp the magnitude of what I signed up for. I was 15 when I left home for the OHL and 18 when I played in the NHL. My nickname when I started in the NHL was The Legend – given to me by Bruins veterans who told me, ‘Shayne, you’re a legend in your own mind.’”

Stevenson closed his speech with a humorous anecdote about one of his more notorious fights while playing for Boston.

“I wanted to offer a special thank you to Louis Debrusk for my new Colgate smile. Debrusk punched my buck teeth into place.”

The Aurora-raised Stevenson charmed the audience with his stories about life in minor, junior, and professional hockey and equally charming were the anecdotes of ultramarathoner George Biondic.

Black referred to Biondic as “The Forrest Gump of Aurora” – alluding to the beloved character played by Tom Hanks who crisscrosses America in a show of superhuman endurance.

Biondic took little time to acknowledge “The world’s best partner in crime, Erlinda”—a shout-out to his wife and running partner who was inducted into ASHOF in 2025.

George remarked his initial training sessions on St. John’s Sideroad to set up crossing the Appalachian Mountains, running through Death Valley, and competing in the “World 24-Hour Championship” were techniques “Rocky Balboa would have approved of.”

The inspirational long-distance runner challenged audience members to take up ultramarathon running by “setting a goal, finding a confidante, and declaring “I Can Do This.” Perhaps the most humorous part of the ultramarathoner’s induction was his wife’s video message: “Congratulations, Georgie—all your hard work has paid off, but none of it would have been possible without me.”

George and Erlinda Biondic are the first husband and wife team to be inducted into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame.

In the final induction of the evening, Black called upon fellow broadcaster Paul Rosen to come to the stage and he added, “Out of darkness comes a great Northern Light—the oldest player to compete at the Paralympics—C’mon up Rosie!”

Rosen ascended the stage with his grandson Zach who was taking in the proud moment and wearing his grandfather’s #57 Team Canada jersey from the Torino Olympics “which was washed in 2006 and not since” as Zach sniffed the armpits.

Following the pattern of the previous inductees, Rosen thanked his family members—especially his sister, “who was the most inspirational person in my life who’s always been there to be help me. You’re the best human being in the world that I’ve met.”

The gold medal-winning goalie acknowledged, “My dad Ron Rosen was my true hero, he was one of a kind, a handshake and your word were everything to him, and I really miss him” and praised his brother for “giving me the love of sport and music.”

“He turned me into a really good hockey and baseball player and took me to Varsity Arena to a Chicago concert when I was 12. He gave me a lucky toonie that I wore in my boot at Torino when we won the gold medal.”

A natural public speaker, Rosen proceeded without notes and riffed about the turning point for his goaltending career and Team Canada’s fortunes in 2006, broke out into a Russian accent, and imitated his dad’s gravelly voice—much to the delight of the audience.

As Rosen concluded his inspirational address with, “I am so honored to be inducted into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame.  I am so honored to live in Aurora,” the chant “Rosie, Rosie, Rosie,” swept the ballroom.

In addition to the four individual inductions and the team induction, two Future Hall of Famers were invited to the stage by Black where Martial Artist Charisma Toupin and MMA fighter Aaron Khaykin were presented with $850 bursary checks by Royal LePage RCR Realty and the Optimist Clubs of Aurora, respectively. 

For young and old, the 13th Annual Aurora Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony lived up to its billing as one of the Town’s premier cultural events.

By Jim Stewart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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