Jody Shelley will enter the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame this year.
The former Yarmouth resident – who played in the local minor hockey system before going to the Halifax Mooseheads and eventually the National Hockey League, where he played for four teams over a dozen years – is one of five people who will be inducted in the athlete category. Two will enter the Hall of Fame as builders. The induction ceremony will be held Friday, Nov. 15 at the Halifax Convention Centre.
Shelley honed his skills with Yarmouth peewee, bantam and midget rep hockey teams before scoring a spot on the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as a “walk-on” player in 1994.
Two years later he became team captain and led the squad to within one win of a berth in the 1997 Memorial Cup. Shelley went on to have an NHL career that began in 2000-01 with the Columbus Blue Jackets and ended in 2012-13 with the Philadelphia Flyers. He also played for the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers. He played in over 625 NHL regular-season and playoff games.
Shelley is “easily the most popular player in Mooseheads history,” said a release from the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame announcing this year’s inductees.
Shelley is a member of the Yarmouth Sports Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2015.
The street where he played his home games while he lived in Yarmouth and was involved in the local minor hockey program was renamed in his honour and for years has been known as Jody Shelley Drive.
His name also lives on in southwestern Nova Scotia through the Jody Shelley Golf Fore Health, an annual fundraiser for the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. The tournament has been held at golf courses in Clare, West Pubnico, Yarmouth and Clyde River. This year’s tournament is scheduled for Friday, July 12, at the Digby Pines. This is the 15th-anniversary year for the event, which has raised over $480,000 in support of the Yarmouth hospital.
Aside from Shelley, this year’s list of Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame inductees includes (in the athlete category) Jackie Barrett, power lifting, Herring Cove; Justine Colley, basketball, East Preston; Suzanne Muir, soccer, Dartmouth; Morgan Williams, rugby, Dartmouth.
Entering the Hall of Fame as builders are Henry Boutilier, baseball, Glace Bay; and Roger Caulfield, basketball, Springhill.
The evening will be hosted by Hall of Fame CEO Bruce Rainnie.
Tickets for the 2019 induction night are on sale now at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. Call 902-404-3343 to place your order.
