A member of the Chicago Blackhawks organization will become the first female inductee into Petrolia's Wall of Fame at Greenwood Recreation Centre.
The Town of Petrolia highlighted the accomplishments of Meghan Hunter, director of hockey administration and amateur scout, on International Women's Day which was recognized earlier this month.
An induction ceremony will be held on April 1 at 5:30 p.m at the recreation centre, located at 4065 Dufferin Ave.
Clerk/Operations Clerk Mandi Pearson said details are still being ironed out but a reception will follow a ceremony and the event will include some ice time.
Pearson said the town wanted to honour Hunter earlier, but the pandemic delayed plans.
"Mayor Brad Loosley had brought it up after she had made some advancements in her career and at that time he wanted to recognize her last International Women's Day," said Pearson.
Hunter will be the ninth member added to the Wall of Fame and the first female. Other members include Todd Bidner, John Van Boxmeer, Pat Verbeek, Mark Hunter, Dale Hunter, Dave Hunter, Brian Dobbin, and Bobby Gould.
"We have a lot of great athletes and players who came through the minor hockey ranks and [Hunter] being one of them, now is the time to bring her forward," said Pearson. "As [Hunter] noted to us, she grew up in a time where there were very few opportunities for female athletes and so today, I think she's a big contribution in her generation to minor hockey for females."
Meghan Hunter. (Photo courtesy of the Town of Petrolia)
Hunter, who's from Oil Springs, began her hockey career with Petrolia Minor Hockey. A media release from the town outlined Hunter's sport and academic accomplishments from her time as a student at LCCVI to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She spent some time working with different universities as part of the coaching staff before becoming the director of group sales for the London Knights in 2008. She later spent time with Hockey Canada before moving to Chicago where she became the second female amateur scout in NHL history, read a media release.
Hunter has recently been recognized by different media outlets, including being named to Sportsnet's list of 25 Most Powerful Women in Hockey in 2021. This year, Hunter was also named one of 20 women with credentials to hold a future NHL GM role by Hockey News.
The full post from the Town of Petrolia about Hunter can be found on the town's Facebook page.