OTTAWA, ON – On Wednesday, May 28th at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building, the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame will induct the Class of 2025 into our local sports shrine. Each Wednesday until the ceremony, the Sport Hall will post an article on an aspect of the event. Today’s feature showcases 2025 keynote speaker Ian Mendes.

2025 SPORT HALL KEYNOTE SPEAKER – IAN MENDES:

The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame’s 2025 inductees will have a familiar voice welcoming them to the local sport shrine, with Ian Mendes set to deliver the keynote speech at the upcoming induction ceremonies next Wednesday, May 28 at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building.

Mendes returned to the Ottawa Senators this past season as Vice President of Communications after beginning his career there in the early 2000s. In between, he became a popular media figure while covering the team for 20+ years with Rogers Sportsnet, TSN 1200 and The Athletic.

Mendes also contributes as a sport volunteer at the community level, particularly in ringette, and he instructs a sports journalism course at Carleton University.

“We’re really excited to have Ian animate our event,” says Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame Chair Dave Best. “He’s such an engaging and entertaining speaker, and it’s going to be great to have him welcome our high-quality Class of 2025.”

Mendes follows two other members of the Ottawa Senators organization who gave keynote speeches at the 2024 and 2023 editions of the Hall inductions – VP & COO Erin Crowe and Business Operations VP Chris Phillips, a Class of 2019 Ottawa Sport Hall of Famer.

There will be a significant Sens flavour to this year’s inductions, with long-time coach Jacques Martin set to enter the Hall, along with Ottawa Senators Alumni Association leaders from the Barrett Family of Leitrim, as well as Olympic wrestling champion Erica Wiebe, football/basketball player Pat Stoqua, snooker sharpshooter Ervin Budge, media member Don Campbell, football trailblazer Jo-Anne Polak and the W-League-champion 2012 Ottawa Fury women’s soccer team.

The Ottawa Senators will also be providing one of three signature experiences to be auctioned off live at the banquet.

“The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is so grateful to have the support of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club among our wonderful sponsors,” Best adds. “The Sens organization makes such an enormous impact in our community, and this is certainly another example of why they’re such an important pillar in the city.”

The Ottawa Sport Hall will look forward to sharing more about the silent auction items that will be available the day before the ceremony, alongside a full overview of the evening’s program.

MAY 28 OTTAWA SPORT HALL OF FAME INDUCTION EVENING

Tickets for the Wednesday, May 28th Induction Ceremony are now sold out!

In the lead-up to the banquet, full-length features on each of the inductees and honoured team will be posted on the Hall’s website at OttawaSportHall.ca and shared through the Ottawa Sports Pages.

-30-

Contact:

Dave Best
Chair, Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame
Chair@OttawaSportHall.ca

About the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame:

The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization, which documents, curates and celebrates outstanding achievement in local sport heritage. The Sport Hall is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors to maintain and preserve our rich sporting legacies. Each year, the Hall of Fame Board receives nominations from the public and selects new inductees to be honoured in the Hall.