Former women's national volleyball team head coach Mike Burchuk will be among eight Manitobans inducted into the U.S.-based Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame later this year.

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Former women's national volleyball team head coach Mike Burchuk will be among eight Manitobans inducted into the U.S.-based Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame later this year.

Burchuk, 68, coached with great success at the CIAU level with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen and also guided the women's national program as an assistant coach and a head coach during the 1980s and '90s.

Burchuk was typically reserved when asked about the honour Monday, admitting he knew little about the organization or how he had been nominated for induction.

"Yes, it's nice but if I knew more about it, it would be more meaningful," said Burchuk, who was honoured as St. Nicholas Ukrainian Sportsman of the year in 1982-83.

Burchuk, who has a previous commitment for the induction weekend on Sept. 15 in Horsham, Pa., will not be attending the event.

Billy Mosienko is best known for scoring the fastest hat trick in NHL history when he scored three goals in 21 seconds against the New York Rangers in 1952. (Family photo)</p>

Billy Mosienko is best known for scoring the fastest hat trick in NHL history when he scored three goals in 21 seconds against the New York Rangers in 1952. (Family photo)

Hockey players Turk Broda and Billy Mosienko, curlers Orest Meleschuk and Ed Werenich, baseball players Corey Koskie and Evelyn Wawryshyn Moroz, and football player Stephen Patrick were the other Manitobans named to the current class.

Broda, Mosienko and Patrick, whose sons Stephen and James played in the NHL and grandson Nolan currently plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, will be inducted posthumously.

Former Winnipeg Jets centre Dale Hawerchuk was a member of the Hall's second induction class in 2017.

Meleschuk, a 78-year-old currently residing in Selkirk, completed the provincial, national and world championship trifecta in 1972 and has always considered his Brier triumph to be his crowning achievement in the game.

His Fort Rouge foursome of third Dave Romano, second John Hanesiak and lead Pat Hailley nearly swept through the round robin, posting a 9-1 record to claim the title. The only defeat came to runner-up Bill Kent of Quebec, who finished 7-3.

Meleschuk (1971-72), Steve Patrick (1996-97), Mosienko (1979-80, 1989-90) also captured the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Sportsman of the year

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14

Mike Sawatzky

Mike Sawatzky
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Mike has been working on the Free Press sports desk since 2003.

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