Fort Wayne, IN-- The Komets announced Tuesday that the weekend of March 10 and 11 will be the Komets' Championship Hall of Fame Weekend.
All nine Fort Wayne league championships will be celebrated and the Komet Hall of Fame will be expanded by the induction of five new members.Beginning Saturday, March 10, when the Komets host the Cincinnati Cyclones at 7:30pm, the Komets will honor all nine championships. Fort Wayne celebrated league crowns in 1963, 1965, 1973, 1993, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. Players and honorees from the championship seasons will be in attendance and will be recognized prior to the Komet/Cyclones game that night.
Sunday, March 11, five new members will be inducted into the Komet Hall of Fame prior to the Komets/Kalamazoo game at 5pm. The Class of 2018 will include "Komet Mom" Ruth Wiegmann, local legendary television and broadcast sports personalities Dean Pantazi and Kent Hormann and former Komet players Jim Burton and Ron Leef.Wiegmann has been affectionately known as the "Komet Mom" over the past several decades as the Wiegmann house was home to over 80 players over the years. Wiegmann will be added to the Executive Builders section.
Pantazi and Hormann each began their broadcasting career in Fort Wayne in the 70's and willbe added to the Media section. Pantazi began his Fort Wayne career at WLYV Radio in 1974 and moved to WPTA television where he became a full-time sports anchor in 1985. Hormann is a Fort Wayne native started his broadcasting career at WFFT Channel 55 in 1978 before becoming a local sportscaster working stints at WKJG TV 33, WPTA TV 21 and WOWO Radio.
Burton and Leef become the 28th and 29th members to be added to the Team Personnel section the Komet Hall of Fame. Burton enjoyed a seven-year career with the Komets and was named IHL Outstanding Defenseman on three occasions, was the Komets' Defenseman of the Year twice, a two-time Fort Wayne MVP and helped the Komets to three IHL Huber Trophy Championships.
Leef skated six seasons with the Komets including three IHL Huber Trophy seasons, was the 1982 Fort Wayne Rookie of the Year and followed with 57 goals and a 120-point season in 1982-83.
The Komet Hall of Fame was first introduced in 1988 and is divided into three sections including the Executive Builders section, the Team Personnel section and the Media section. With the addition of these five new inductees, the Komet Hall of Fame will total 51 members.
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