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Now the former NHL All-Star goaltender will forever stand tall in the 42-year franchise’s history, too, with his induction into the Rivermen Hall of Fame completed Saturday in front of a high-energy 4,664 at Carver Arena.

With Bishop in that crowd, they watched the Rivermen sweep a weekend series from SPHL first-place Birmingham, 5-1, pulling second-place Peoria to within two points of the league lead. The Rivermen got the job done with a hat trick from center JM Piotrowski, including a spectacular penalty shot in the second period.

Bishop led off the night with a ceremonial pre-game puck drop where he was joined by Peoria starting goaltender Nick Latinovich and Birmingham counterpart Hayden Stewart, the league’s top two goaltenders.

Former Rivermen and NHL St. Louis Blues goaltender Ben Bishop was at Carver Arena on Saturday, where he was inducted into the Rivermen Hall of Fame during Peoria’s SPHL game against Birmingham.

Then, during the first intermission, Bishop stood on the ice with his wife, Andrea, sons Ben IV (age 6), James (4), and Mason (10 months) and his mother, Cindy, father, Ben Jr., at his side. The crowd, which included a lot of St. Louis Blues fans who made the drive to Peoria from St. Louis, delivered a standing ovation.

“It’s hard to believe that 16 years ago almost to the day I played my first pro home game here — and got in a fight down in that corner,” Bishop said, laughing, as he pointed at the other end of the ice. “But it’s a great honor to be inducted into the Peoria Rivermen Hall of Fame. Peoria has such a rich history.

“So many memories on the ice. And more importantly, off the ice … a great community … it was a pleasure to play parts of five seasons in front of you guys. And it’s great to see hockey is still thriving in Peoria.”

The gracious Bishop and his family stayed the entire game, and the former Rivermen player was in the Peoria locker room after the 5-1 win, where he introduced himself and shook the players’ hands, congratulating them on their victory