Bomb Squad Hall of Fame

"Without the fans, we're just rec hockey"
                 -Colin Bandstra, #21
Bomb Squad [bm sqwd]
n.
    1. The beloved and loyal fans that come out and cheer the TWU Bombers.



You may be asking yourself as you vistit this portion of twubombers.com, "what the heck is the Bomb Squad Hall of Fame?" Well basically, the Bombers love their fans; and recognizing the loudest, proudest, craziest, and most loyal members of the Bomb Squad is one way the team shows their appreciation.

Three inductees were entered into the hall in 2006. Every year three more Bombers fans will be honoured by the team and entered into the Hall of Fame.

Q; What do you get for being a Hall of Fame member?
A: Pride.
Q: What does one have to do in order to become a member of the Hall?
A: First of all, be awesome. Second of all, someone is going to have to recommend you. Then you will be considered and possibly inducted. Anyone can recommend you. You can recommend yourself for all I care. If you think that you or someone else deserves to be in the Bomb Squad Hall of Fame, tell us why. twubombers@gmail.com


2008 Inductees

   Richard Crowther

 Dressed in his often flamboyant orange clothing, Richard "Dick" Crowder was a loyal supporter of the Bombers for many years. Dick followed the team even when fan support was almost non-existent. During the 2004-2005 season, Dick was influential in the transformation of the team from one with no support to one of Trinity's most popular sports teams.

At TWU, Dick roomed with stud defenceman Norman Van Eeden Petersman and developed a passion for heckling most players on the Bombers team, primarily the Dutch contingent. As most Bombers' fans know, heckling one's own team is just one of the unique realities of the Bombers hockey club, and Dick can probably be credited with starting that tradition.

   Eric Rice

 Eric was one of the most recognizable faces and voices at Bombers hockey games during his time at Trinity Western University.

Always one that spread his love equally, Eric can be best remembered for his immense verbal harassment of players on both teams on the ice. Opposing teams hated playing against the Bombers, not because they were afraid of the hockey team, but because they were terrified of the unmentionables directed their way from Eric in the stands.

Eric also famously coined the phrase, "Colin you suck" which certainly lived on after Eric's departure.

   David Muller


David Muller loves two things in life: moustaches and the Bombers.

During his four years at TWU, Muller was a fervent supporter of the Bombers and came to every game that he possibly could. Muller was one of the loudest and proudest voices that ever dawned the Sportsplex. He made life miserable for opponents at every chance he could.

Muller's enthusiasm and love for the Bombers never went unnoticed.


2007 Inductees

   Dale Baumgartner

It is fitting that the first inductee to the Bomb Squad Hall of Fame is a man who played hockey for the Bombers. No, Dale did not play for the TWU Bombers but instead the Flin Flon Bombers of the then Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL - now the WHL). In fact, the Bombers were named after this team by Flin Flon native Kelly Hart when the Bombers started back in 2000.

Dale has been a loyal supporter of the Bombers ever since he became the Recreation Services Director at Trinity Western University. He comes out to almost every game, even if they start at 11 PM. Dale also loves talking Bombers for hours upon hours with anyone who steps into his office. Dale's love and support for the team have not gone unnoticed as he is the first inductee to the prestigious Bomb Squad Hall of Fame.


   Andy Perlman

 

 

Andy Perlman’s first step in his journey to becoming the first American inductee into the Bomb Squad Hall of Fame began when the Columbine High School graduate chose to head north of the 49th for his university education. Immersed in Canadian culture, Andy soon discovered that hockey was a way of life.

For the love of the game and in support of many of his friends who were a part of the team, Andy regularly attended many of the Bombers’ games. Deep inside, a desire to not only watch Bombers, but to play, motivated Andy to work hard on the basic techniques of the game by regularly playing ball hockey and registering for the HKIN hockey class. In 2003, with the encouragement of many of the players who he first supported, Andy came out of the stands and suited up to become only the second American to wear the Bomber Black and Orange.

If you look up “heart” in the dictionary, you will find Andy Perlman’s picture. Heart also defines Bomber’s hockey and the Bomb Squad alike and thus explains why Andy is the second inductee into the Bomb Squad Hall of Fame.

   Allan Kotanen

 

Allan is the longest serving employee at Trinity Western University, and probably the longest serving Bombers fan.

Allan's son Ben Kotanen co-founded the Bombers back in 2000. Ben is also the current coach of the black and orange. Allan's other son Jonny also played on the Bombers.

Allan is not simply a fan of the Bombers hockey team; he was also the team's very first coach. After coaching the team to many victories, Allan stepped out of the limelight and into the stands. Allan has been a constant supporter of the team throughout the years.