The Canada West Hall of Fame is enshrining three university sporting legends from Saskatchewan in its latest induction class. Chris Biegler, Andrew Spagrud and David King were announced as inductees for Hall of Fame’s class of 2026-27. Biegler, who grew up in Regina and attended Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School, led the Cougars men’s basketball program from 1985-89. After beginning his university career at Saskatchewan, Biegler transferred to Regina and established himself as one of the top players in the then Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU). A three-time All-Canadian and four-time Great Plains Athletic Conference First Team All-Star, Biegler is the only Cougar to win the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as national Player of the Year, earning the award for his outstanding 1986-87 season. Biegler remains Regina’s all-time leader with 23.1 points per game and ranks third in program history with 1,362 career points. In his final season, he led the Cougars to their first national championship appearance and helped the program reach the semifinals with a quarter-final victory over UPEI. Donning #33 for four seasons, he is also the only athlete from the U of R to have their uniform number retired. Biegler was previously inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. Also earning an induction into the conference’s Hall of Fame is University of Saskatchewan Huskies’ basketball player Andrew Spagrud. As Canada West’s all-time leading scorer, Spagrud concluded his Huskies career with a conference-record 2,182 points - a mark that still stands today. He made an immediate impact after joining USask, earning Canada West and CIS Rookie of the Year honours in 2003-04 while also being named a conference Second Team All-Star. Spagrud captured Canada West Player of the Year honours in 2004-05 and was named a Canadian Interuniversity Sports All-Canadian in each of his final four seasons. He also received the Huskies’ Howard Nixon Trophy as Male Rookie of the Year in 2003-04 and the E. Kent Phillips Trophy as the university’s Male Athlete of the Year in his final season. Former U of S men’s hockey coach David King has been entered into the hall in the builders category. One of the most influential figures in Canadian hockey history, King’s legendary coaching career got its start at the University of Saskatchewan. After playing four seasons with the Huskies from 1968-72, he stepped into an assistant coaching role with the team in 1972-73. He would spend the next several seasons coaching in the junior ranks before returning to guide the Huskies as head coach in 1979. King led the team to one of their most successful periods in program history, as the Dogs captured the Canada West Championship in 1981, 1982 and 1983. The team also experienced national success, finishing second at the CIAU championship in both 1981 and 1982, before winning it all in 1983. King was selected as the Canada West Coach of the Year three times and was named CIAU Coach of the Year in 1980. His influence soon extended beyond university hockey; he coached Canada to its first-ever World Junior Championship gold medal in 1982 and later served as head coach of the national men’s team at three Olympic Winter Games, highlighted by a silver medal in 1992. King’s career would go on to include coaching roles in the NHL and professional leagues across Europe. In total, eight individuals and one team were honoured as part of this year’s Canada West Hall of Fame class.
