This winter the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is celebrating the season with a special offer featuring the work of a Hall of Fame inductee.
Any family with a child aged 10 or under who visits the Hall of Fame before March 31 will receive a copy of the book A Prairie Boy by William Roy Brownridge. Four of Brownridge’s prints are currently on display as part of the SSHF’s A Winter’s Warmth: Celebrating the Joys of Winter Sports exhibit.
Brownridge was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022 as a builder in the sport of hockey for his work as an artist, author, and designer. A renowned artist from the hamlet of Vawn, Bill Brownridge grew up in the 1930s with spina bifida but still managed to get on the ice and play pond hockey in his boots or moccasins. His love of sport, particularly hockey, and the province’s natural environment have been a source of inspiration in his career as an artist ever since.
Brownridge’s work has been extremely popular in the hockey community with a number of National Hockey League players, coaches and executives owning his work.
A Prairie Boy is Brownridge’s latest children’s art book. Highlighted by his distinct style of art, the book tells the story of a young Métis boy named Tony who lives on his grandparents’ farm and dreams of making his local hockey team.
“I find great enjoyment in watching children at play,” Brownridge said. “Their joyous laughter, enthusiasm, and naivete are a source of endless fascination – especially when the setting is a hauntingly beautiful prairie or foothills landscape.”
Few artists or authors have captured the beauty and culture of winter in Saskatchewan quite like Brownridge.
The Hall of Fame is proud to maintain an accessible and open museum for all residents of Regina, operating on an admission-by-donation basis. We are pleased to be able to make this offer as part of our mandate to share the stories of Saskatchewan’s sport history.
This offer would not be possible without the partnership and support of Bill Brownridge and the Brownridge family. The SSHF thanks them for their support of the Hall of Fame and for supporting children’s literacy.