PENTICTON, B.C. – The Penticton Vees Hockey Club is excited to announce alum Duncan Keith and former broadcaster Al Formo will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honour on Wednesday, November 23rd, ahead of the Vees game against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
The two will be at the game to see their names added to the 15 members that currently make up the Ring of Honour, during a special pre-game ceremony.
“We are fortunate to have great alumni that gave so much to our program and to the game itself. Both Duncan Keith and Al Formo were integral in building the foundation of Penticton Junior Hockey,” began Vees President, General Manager & Head Coach Fred Harbinson. “All of Penticton is proud of Al’s longevity in the sport and Duncan’s storied professional career and now they will have their names displayed forever in the rafters of the SOEC.”
Keith played two seasons for the Penticton Panthers before embarking on a decorated NHL career. Keith, who was born in Winnipeg and grew up in Penticton, played for the Panthers from 1999-2001. The defenceman averaged nearly a point per game in his BCHL career, as he compiled 118 points in 119 career regular season games. He had an additional 10 points in 15 career BCHL playoff games. During the 2000-2001 season, he was named the BCHL Interior Conference Best Defenceman and named to the BCHL Interior Conference First All-Star Team, after he posted 82 points in in 60 games. Keith went onto play parts of two seasons at Michigan State University and in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, winning a WHL championship in 2003.
The 39-year-old recently announced his retirement from the NHL after a decorated 17-year career that spanned over 1,200 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers. Keith won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015 as the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He also won the Norris Trophy twice as the NHL’s Best Defenceman in 2010 ad 2014. Keith’s international career included winning two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2010 and in 2014.
Formo was a familiar voice to Penticton junior hockey fans for over four decades, as he served as the long-time colour analyst on local radio broadcasts. Formo first put on the headset in the fall of 1967 and up until his retirement in 2012, he called over 2,300 games. Formo was on the call in Humboldt, SK, when the Vees won their second national championship, the RBC Cup, in 2012. The former broadcaster also was the Penticton Panthers bus driver for several seasons through the late 1990’s and into the early 2000’s.
The Ring of Honour induction ceremony for Keith and Formo will be the first since 2017, when Brendan Morrison and Paul Kariya were inducted during the Western Canada Cup tournament.
The Vees look for a franchise record 12th-straight win to start the season tonight, when they host the Cranbrook Bucks at the SOEC; puck drop is slated for 6:30 pm. Fans can get their tickets at the Valley First box office, or online at www.valleyfirsttix.com
