The Belfast Giants have officially inducted the first five members of their newly created Hall of Fame at a special ceremony ahead of their game against the Dundee Stars on Wednesday night.
The ‘Class of ’24’, consisting of Dave Whistle, Jason Bowen, Mark Morrison, Albert Maasland and Bob Zeller, became the first five individuals to have their names added to the wall on the south-east side of the concourse at the SSE Arena.
As part of the celebrations, Bowen, Morrison and Zeller were all in attendance and were awarded their Hall of Fame plaques on the ice before the current Giants team faced off against the Stars.
The quintet’s induction will form part of a new tradition for the club that will see individuals added to the Hall of Fame every year ahead of one home game in December.
Maasland and Zeller’s inductions come as no surprise given they were the ones who set the Giants up all the way back in 1997, while head coach Whistle – whose son Jackson now plays for the Giants as a goaltender and accepted the award on his father’s behalf – is an obvious inclusion, too, as he led the team in their inaugural season before winning their first ever Superleague title in 2002.
On the playing side, local man Morrison would represent his hometown team for eight years and spend three of them as an alternate captain, winning an Elite League title, a Challenge Cup and a Play-Offs trophy, the ‘Mo Train’ finishing one game shy of reaching 400 appearances.
And it is also no shock to see Bowen inducted as while his tenure in Belfast lasted just five seasons – although it did result in two League titles – he has since made Belfast his home, becoming a chef at the Fatted Calf in Glenarm.
The creation of the Hall of Fame follows the unveiling of a puck statue outside the SSE Arena, as well as the announcement of a testimonial game for head coach and former captain Adam Keefe in June 2025.