During a beautiful ceremony on April 8th at the Granite Club in Toronto, Sabir Butt, Paul Deratnay, Jessica DiMauro, Lolly Gillen, David Howard were inducted as the Class of 2026 into the Ontario Squash Hall of Fame.
With thanks to Josh Ginou, the event was streamed, and anyone interested can view the event here.
From Left to Right: Paul Deratnay, Jessica DiMauro, Sabir Butt, Lolly Gillen, David Howard.
Sabir Butt was inducted as a Player. Sabir is one of Canada’s most accomplished squash players, winning six Canadian Junior titles, four National Men’s Open Championships, 16 PSA/ISPA titles, and reaching a career-high world ranking of #17. He earned multiple Pan American gold medals and represented Canada internationally with distinction.
Paul Deratnay was inducted as a Player, being recognised for his hardball singles and doubles career. He won the 1981 World Jr singles. He was an NCAA champion and a Canadian Open singles champion along with 4 Ontario singles titles. He won the Ontario Open doubles twice and the Canadian Open doubles 4 times.
Jessica DiMauro was inducted as a Player/Coach in recognition of her Softball Singles, Hardball Doubles and ongoing Coaching career. Over her playing career, she amassed 21 National Singles and Doubles Titles, an NCAA Intercollegiate Singles Title and a World Doubles Championship. Jessica played on the Canadian Jr team from 1992 to 1995 then coached the team from 2004 to 2012. She has the UPenn college wins record at 73 – 9 and won the Fathers Trophy at UPenn for the top graduating Student-Athlete in 1999. Jessica was inducted into the University of Pennsylvania Athletics Hall of Fame and the US College Squash Association Hall of Fame. She is a Level IV National Coach, a Squash Ontario Coach of the Year and has coached at the Granite Club since 1992.
Lolly Gillen was inducted as a Builder/Player. Lolly is a Squash Ontario Honorary Member and former President (2006-2008), Squash Canada’s second longest-serving President (2013–2018) and the first female to be elected Secretary General of the Pan American Squash Federation (2019–2027). Lolly founded Canada’s 1st wheelchair squash program in 2023 and was appointed Chair of the World Squash57 Commission in 2025. On court, Lolly accumulated 4 open and 57 age category World, Canadian, US & Provincial/State hardball doubles titles.
David Howard was inducted as a Builder/Referee. Dave participated as a Referee, Tournament Referee and/or mentor in most Provincial/National Championships, Canada Winter Games, and numerous international events. He volunteered as member and chair of both Squash Ontario and Squash Canada Officiating Committees and was chair of the group that developed our current Officiating program and database.
Congratulations to this year’s inductees on this incredible honour. Your achievements, dedication, and lasting impact on squash in Ontario have earned you a well-deserved place in history. We are proud to welcome you to the Ontario Squash Hall of Fame, joining the esteemed group of 37 members who have helped shape and grow the game across the province.
About the Ontario Squash Hall of Fame
The Ontario Squash Hall of Fame was created in 2005 by Squash Ontario to promote a greater awareness of the history of squash in Ontario by recognizing individuals for their outstanding achievements and exceptional contributions to the game; and to preserve the heritage of the game.
Current members of the Board of Governors are:
Peter Hall, Chair, Stephanie Hewitt, Al Hunt, Jim Paton, Pat Richardson, Tony Swift, Lorraine Tetreault
