Five years later, he received his first players license. Clara Hughes (Road Cycling/Speed Skating) Hughes has won six Olympic medals in her . The Jamaican born, Canadian sprinter won gold in the 100m setting a new world record of 9.84 seconds in the process. Gretzky played twenty seasons in the NHL between 1979 and 1999, and despite being retired for more than twenty years, he still holds just about every offensive record there is. But for these 12 athletes, both seasons are their favourite as they have competed at the summer and winter Olympic Games. A 16-year span of dominance! Ben Johnson who held the record of being the fastest man in the world during the 1980s was a Canadian. She finished third in combined pursuit at those Salt Lake City Olympics, only to be upgraded to the Olympic gold after two Russians were caught doping. This laid the groundwork for a federation of the British colonies. Brooke Henderson. He is best known for his performance in the 1984 Olympic Games, where he won two bronze medals. He is the first Jamaican-born athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Her hard work and leadership provide an excellent example for other aspiring athletes. Captain Canada himself, Michael Saunders, made it to the MLB All-Star game. He was the inspiration for the 1998 movie My Giant. In span of his career, he had 10 grand slams to boot, 24 career titles, and was at No. From the ice to the hardcourt, theres not much doubt about who Canadas greatest basketball player is. This International Women's Day, let's celebrate some of Canada's female heroes of the past and not-so distant past. Jamaican-born Canadian bobsledder Lascelles Brown is an Olympic silver medalist and a former World Champion. He was also the creator of the first steel tennis racket and the tennis ball machine. Despite the poor showing of Canadian teams during this past hockey season, right now is a pretty exciting time for Canadian athletes. He is best known for winning the US Triple Crown in 1973, riding the famous American thoroughbred racehorse, Secretariat. 8. Hi, Im Christine a full-time traveler and career woman. Crosbys dominance has continued since then, as he has captained the Penguins to 2 Stanley Cup championships, won 2 Hart trophies (NHL MVP), 2 Art Ross trophies (NHL scoring title), and a Conn Smythe trophy (playoff MVP). Moyse chose to push for next-generation pilot, Alyssa Rissling. As a professional tennis player, she is currently ranked no. Post-retirement, he has been working as a power skating coach. Make a donation to Canadas History Society. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. After a spinal cord injury at 15, he became a paraplegic. MacLennan became the first Canadian athlete to defend their title at a Summer Olympic Games, following up her gold-medal performance in trampoline from the 2012 London Olympic Games with another gold in Rio 2016. Cartier persuaded French Canadians that this type of union would be more sympathetic to the French Catholic cause than an alliance with the United States. Clara Hughes Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba. Gold at home in Vancouver 2010 and a repeat four years later in Russia. Thousands of pieces form Montrals historical patchwork quilt. Obviously the diamond took a back seat to the ice as she went on to the most prolific career in women's hockey. Ben Johnson also won a gold medal at the 1985 World Indoor Championships. If you lived in North America or Europe in the 1960s and 70s, she was famous as they come. According to the 2016 census,Frenchwas the mother tongue language of 7,166,705 people, or 21 per cent of the Canadian population. The 167 goals puts her second all-time in international goals scored, behind American Abby Wambach. Nancy Greene Widely regarded as Canada's top female athlete of the 20th century, Greene was a trailblazer for female Canadian athletes. He is regarded as one of the worlds finest brakesmen. Eventually Bourassa resigned from the Liberal party and became an independent MP. And the rest is history. 5 Bobsleigh. They became just the third trio of sisters to compete in the same individual event at the Winter Games. Much like Mario Lemieux, theres a good chance Orr would be considered the greatest hockey player of all time if his career wasnt cut short by injury. Whether it was her dominant gold medal victory in the giant slalom at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics (she won by a whopping 2.68 seconds!) Or, in the case of the Canadian women's hockey team, back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Previously, she had won the bronze medal and the silver medal at the 2013 and 2014 World Curling Championships respectively. Named the Female Athlete of the First Half-Century by Canada, she also excelled in hockey, apart from track and field. Full statement, Copyright 2023Canadas History Society | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions, Website designed and developed by ecentricarts.com, Historical Thinking Community of Practice. To celebrate Canadas 150th anniversary, KelownaNow is shining a light on our amazing country. An advocate for Indigenous issues, Chalmers has made efforts to connect with and inspire . Copyright 2023 by AncoraThemes. A cyclist and a speed skater, she set records for not only Canadians, but athletes from all over the world. Similarly to Andre De Grasse, Penny Oleksiak used the 2016 Summer Olympics as a means to catapult herself to the forefront of her sport. All rights reserved. He is also the program assistant of Canadas History Society. Adriana John Sidney Crosby no doubt deserves this ranking, given he has been at the top of his sport for the last decade, achieving great success both professionally with the NHLs Pittsburgh Penguins, and internationally as a member of Team Canada. While growing up in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, she was quite the fastball player, representing Canada at the world junior championships at one point. In 2022, Andre De Grasse won a gold medal at the World Championships. He is the youngest French player to score at a World Cup, and the second teenager, next to Pel, to score in a World Cup Final. She's a major reason why the team won back-to-back bronze medals in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Wayne Douglas Gretzky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head. Here we profile the ultimate fighter for clean sport and a woman who changes the conversation around ability. Ballard also owned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. 3 Badminton. Hometown: Manchester, Jamaica (immigrated to Oakville, Ontario), Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa (immigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan then Victoria, B.C. Melissa Benoist, American actress, of partial French descent through paternal great-grandfather. He retired in 2019, ending his basketball career as the ninth leading post-season scorer in NBA history. Georges St Pierre may not be as well known as some of the other athletes on this list, but among combat sports fans, hes a legend. He also won a gold medal at the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Canadians have never been the strongest contenders in the summer Olympics, but for an entire generation of Canadian children, Donovan Bailey represented the height of Canadian pride. The former Canadian senator is better known as the best alpine skier of her day. The list features athletes from a wide variety of sports and eras. Called the greatest hockey player of all time by many and its unlikely hell lose that title anytime soon. He campaigned for greater independence for Lower Canada, which was dominated by an influential British minority. Without a doubt, Canadas greatest basketball player. Despite a short career, Owen Hart is one of the greatest Canadian wrestlers of all time. Fiction Feature: Its Manitoba in 1888. . Nicknamed Tiger (well before the golfer! He followed that up with a pair of gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Games in the 100m and 200m, and bronze medals at the 2015 World Championships in the 100m and 4 x 100m relay. Naomi Osaka. JB Blanc (born 1969), actor; father of French descent. Once in Qubec City, she met Marie-Madeleine de Chauvigny de la Peltrie, founder of the Ursulines in Qubec. Sharon Firth said: "The world was so fascinated by us skinny indian girls and boys and how we danced on skis. Drouin is the reigning Olympic and World Champion in Mens High Jump, as he won gold at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics. READ MORE: Interesting Facts About Kylian Mbapp. Here are the Top 10 Canadian athletes in the world today. FouKi See on Instagram An artists essay became a call-to-arms for social change. Weve made a list of some of the most influential, and while its impossible to rank the best of the best, were sure youll agree that each of the athletes on this list has had a big impact on sports in Canada. This resulted in unrest leading to the Lower Canada Rebellion of 183738. The first ever World Cup ski race was held in 1967. Name just about any hockey record and youll see that the legendary 99 holds it firmly. Most people (athletes included) tend to like either the summer or the winter. Despite having just one MLB team, Canada has produced some talented baseball players over the years, but none compare to Fergie Jenkins. Initially, Hughes won two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. After retiring from tennis in 1932, he became pretty busy with his inventions, filing 20 new patents between the 1960s and 80s. Lemieux is narrowly behind Gretzky for the highest all-time points per game in the NHL and the two Canadians are a half point higher than anyone else on the list. Discover a wealth of interesting, entertaining and informative stories in each issue, delivered to you six times per year. 2021 all rights reserved, SeasonedPros.ca. She'll look to win her first LPGA major since 2016 in April. He won a gold medal at the 1934 British Empire Games in London, where he represented British Guiana. Guy Carleton (1724-1808) Sir Guy (later the Baron Dorchester) was an early and important British governor of the new English colony of Quebec, serving from 1768-1778 and then 1786-1796.He oversaw the implementation of the Quebec Act (1774), which aimed to create social peace with the French-Canadians while still asserting English political control. He holds the Canadian record in high jump, clearing 2.40m in 2014. Conacher succeeded in a number of sports including football, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, boxing and wrestling. Just a few years after Ben Johnson had his Olympic medals stripped due to doping, Donovan Bailey captured the hearts of a nation during the 1996 Atlanta games. When they were six, their whole community was up and moved to Inuvik. However, these did not stop him from becoming one of the greatest athletes France has ever had. If you liked this article, please share it! Moyse - the best pusher in the world - was a team-sport star from PEI and member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Drouin also won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, and won 5 NCAA titles while competing for the Indiana Hoosiers. With that out of the way, lets take a look at the 12 greatest Canadian athletes of all time! Given the overwhelming reasons to be proud of our nations athletic output, what better time to look at the all time great athletes Canada hasgiven the sports world. Christine Sinclair Hometown: Burnaby, B.C. Basketball runs in the Parker family. He won the Olympic silver medal in the 10,000-meter long distance race. updated July 10, 2021, 1:15 am, by He won a Grey Cup, a Memorial Cup, two Stanley Cups and even a baseball championship in the International League. In 1979, he wasinductedintothe National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. To celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2015, The Canadian Encyclopedia created 30 lists of 30 things that make us proud to be Canadian, from famous people and historic events, to iconic foods and influential artists. Women's basketball didn't become an official Olympic sport until 1976. He competed in before making his NHL debut at 18 in 2005. You could debate about which male hockey player on this list is the best, but theres not much doubt that Hayley Wickenheiser is the greatest female hockey player in history. His illustrious career has seen him compete internationally for Jamaica, Canada, and Monaco. Donald Edmond "Donnie" Wahlberg Jr. was born on August 17, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts into a family of Swedish (from his paternal grandfather), Irish, and more distant French-Canadian, English, and Scottish, descent. Andre De Grasse is a Canadian track and field athlete best known for winning the gold medal in the men's 200 metres event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. He has won two silver medals and three bronze medals in two Olympic Games so far. In the early 2000s, he spent the majority of his time in the top ten rankings and brought a major golf title to Canada for the first time ever when he won the Masters in 2003. She became a member of the Socit Notre-Dame de Montral and obtained funding from benefactor Anglique Bullion to establish a hospital on the island of Montral. Arianne Moffatt, from Quebec City, is a multi-talented singer that is undefinable by any genre standards. Hayley Wickenheiser Hometown: Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. 1 ranking from 1926 to 1927. The first Canadian-born athlete to hold an official world track record, three-time Olympian Harry Jerome broke the Canadian record in the 220-yard dash when he was only 18 years old. Not only does Clara Hughes have six Olympic medals to her name, shes one of two athletes since Second World War to win medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Ren Lacoste had fared well in his athletics career as well. Warner picked up his first Olympic medal, a bronze, at the 2016 Rio Games, and also has silver and bronze medals from the 2015 and 2013 World Championships. With an HPI of . She retired after 2012 London Games after finishing fifth in the time trial. Milos Raonic, a tennis player, was born in the former Yugoslavia, but moved with his family to Canada when he was 3 years old. She won bronze at the 2002 Salt Lake City games, a gold and silver in the 2006 Turin games and another bronze on home soil at the 2010 Vancouver games. 2 Donovan Bailey She became a dual-season Olympian at PyeongChang 2018 when she won bronze with Kaillie Humphries in bobsleigh. He had a permanently damaged lung due to an accident. Steve Nash Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa (immigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan then Victoria, B.C.). A lot can happen in four years. Born in a poor neighboorhood in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille, Zidane started playing football at age 5. She was 15 when she began training in hurdles. 7 Curling. 27 Jul 1996: Donovan Bailey of Canada #1197 defeats Frankie Fredericks of Namibia #1962 and Dennis Mitchell of the USA for the gold medal in th 100m final at the Olympic Stadium at the 1996. Gretzkys 1,963 assists in the NHL are greater than anyone elses points totals, although Jaromir Jagr might have something to say about that before he hangs up the skates. In the early 2000s, Mike Weir was the guy from Canada and he was one of the best players on tour. Hundreds of thousands came out to celebrate and in 1950, Rosenfeld was named Canada's female athlete of the first half of the century. Percy Williams was a Canadian athlete best remembered for winning two gold medals at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. What comes to mind when you think of Canada and sports? Nicknamed the Man of Bronze, Phil Edwards won five bronze medals for Canada at the Olympic Games between 1928 and 1936. Ethel May Smith (July 5, 1907 - December 31, 1979) was a sprinter from Canada who won two medals at the Amsterdam 1928 Summer Olympics: a bronze medal in the 100 m, and a gold team medal in the 4 100 m relay. A 4-time Olympian and an Olympic gold medalist, retired Canadian track and field athlete Bruny Surin has been a master of the 4100m relay. Honourable mentions: Marnie McBean and Kathleen Heddle. In 2011, Velma Springstead was posthumously elected as a member of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame. Here are the top 10 greatest celebrated Canadian athletes of all time; 1. anniversary in 2015, theEncyclopediadrew up the following list of 30 francophones from all corners of French-speaking Canada who have achieved fame in various fields. While there are 15 deserving athletes on this list, there are a number of incredible Canadian athletes that didnt make the cut, which wasnt an easy decision. The world-famous Andr the Giant died of congestive heart failure in Paris in 1993, after attending his fathers funeral. Andrew Stawicki/Toronto Star via Getty Images. He won gold twice at the 1996 games and was the record-holder for the 100m sprint. Raonic has 8 ATP titles to his name, and has earned over $14 million (USD) in career winnings. Victor Davis, Guelph Andre De Grasse, Scarborough / Markham Lori Dupuis, Cornwall Dave Edge (born 1954), British-Canadian Olympic long-distance runner Terry Farnsworth (born 1942), Olympic judoka Mark Fawcett, Nelson, British Columbia Shaul Gordon (born 1994), Canadian-Israeli Olympic sabre fencer In 1980, Ron Turcotte was elected as a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Hes a 23-time NHL All-Star and held a number of hockeys scoring records until Wayne Gretzky broke them in the 1980s. Tony Parkers dad and two siblings also played professional basketball. Her fierce stance against drug cheats earned her respect from athletes worldwide, but also the ire of the suits in the room. He was 16 when he began his martial arts training with the Canadian Army. Three hundred and seventy-five years ago, a small group of French settlers faced unthinkable hardship and danger to establish what would become the great city of Montral. Throughout the years, hundreds of Canadian athletes have made their mark on the world of sport and represented Canada at the highest level. Three-time Olympian Canadian track and field athlete and bobsledder Phylicia George is also an Olympic bronze medalist in the two-woman bobsleigh category. They learned the sport from a French priest on borrowed skis from a U.S. Army base and eventually a small nordic team was formed. Auto racing is another sport that few Canadians excel at, but Vileneuve certain helped to put our countrys name on the map with the sport. Two different events. Had it not been for some bizarre and unfortunate Olympic qualifying rules and domestic standards,they would have competed at Tokyo 2020 in the debut of 3-on-3 basketball and been a medal favourite. She has been tireless in advocating for fitness and an active lifestyle and at 76 years old, she's still carving turns. In PyeongChang 2018, Humphries partnered with sprinter Phylicia George winning a bronze medal. By the Sapporo Olympics of 1972, seven of Canada's nine nordic skiers were from the Mackenzie Delta. or back-to-back World Cup overall titles, Greene Raine ruled the slopes and inspired the next generation of ski racers, male and female. Just before winning four consecutive Olympic gold medals in hockey, Wickenheiser starred for the softball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Phil Edwards was a Guyanese-born Canadian track and field athlete who specialized in middle-distance events. He is deemed one of the worlds greatest athletes. 50.97, Ethel Smith is the most famous Canadian Athlete. Candice Quigley She also set Canadian womens records in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. When you have those kinds of stats, you can find yourself on a Google Doodle or in a Heritage Minute. updated December 20, 2017, 7:59 pm, by He then established himself as one of the top hockey and boxing referees of his generation. She is currently captaining the national team and the NWSL club Portland Thorns FC. Nancy Greene 7. In 1640, Mance learned that religious women the Ursulines and Augustinians had established themselves in Qubec and she was inspired to go to New France. Access KelownaNow using your Facebook account, or by entering your information below. The gifted playmaker returned to Phoenix in 2004 where he won back to back NBA MVP Awards. While a lot of countries have one, The main event of UFC Vegas 66 will feature a contest between Cannonier and Sean Strickland, two superb fighters. She is currently ranked an impressive 8th in the world at her sport, a position that she will no doubt surpass in the future. by He has won two silver medals and three bronze medals in two Olympic Games so far. At that point, Greene had already won several high-profile events in Canada and The States. Sharing the stories and celebrating the contributions of inspiring Black Canadian athletes . Parker himself turned pro at the age of 17. 2016 may have been an even better year for De Grasse. He is currently ranked 4th in the world, though he was ranked 3rd for a time in 2016. In honor of Canada Day, here are the 25 greatest Canadians of all time: 26. Two-time national champion and retired Canadian figure skater Nam Nguyen has also been a World Junior Champion in 2014. Anglo-Jamaican in origin, the sportsperson specializes in 100m and 200m and began his athletic career with the USC Trojans while in college. Cecil Smith, her sister Maude "Jim" Smith, and Constance Wilson competed for Canada in figure skating at the 1928 . In the 1920s, she helped found the Provincial Franchise Committee for Womens Suffrage and began fighting for the right for women to vote provincially in Qubec a battle that would last more than two decades before victory was achieved. Impressed by Mance and her mission, Peltrie decided to join the group. And this weekend Sidney Crosby will be taking his second Stanley Cup home to his Nova Scotia hometown. Shes considered one of the best female soccer players of all time and has 296 appearances and 186 goals for Canada. In this category, we zone in on individual sports. Greene is now a large figure in the B.C. Born in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. With millions of followers, he is definitely one of France most famous athletes on social media. This article originally appeared in the April-May 2017issue ofCanadas History. Alwyn Morris (1957-) Canoe-Kayak Sprint Oleksiak is a freestyle and butterfly swimmer who won 4 medals (a record for a Canadian athlete at a single Summer Olympics) at the Rio Olympics: gold in the 100m freestyle, silver in the 100m butterfly, and bronze in both the 4 x 100m and 4 x 200m freestyle relays. Posted on Published: November 16, 2021- Last updated: January 6, 2023. With so many trailblazers in this country, this list could run off the page. Canadas national womens soccer team is currently ranked in the top ten, thanks in part to the skills of captain Christine Sinclair. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. When things went wrong in seventeenth-century Quebec, authorities were not above blaming black magic. Throughout his career in both politics and journalism, he fought for the protection of minorities namely Canadians in the Commonwealth and French-Canadians outside Qubec. He has also had a very successful international career, winning 2 Olympic gold medals, a World Junior Championship, a World Championship, and a World Cup title with Team Canada. In 1970, then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Casgrain to the Canadian Senate. 2 female tennis player in the world, withdrew from the French Open on Monday after she was fined $15,000 for failing to attend a post-match press conference. He delivered many speeches calling for Canadas complete independence, going so far as to oppose the Dominions involvement in the First World War. He also led the 4 x 100m relay team to a gold medal in the same Olympics. Thousands and thousands of girls hit the slopes to be just like Nancy. He defended his world title eight times before coming out of four-year retirement to win the middleweight world title in 2017. Lloyd Eisler is a Canadian former pairs skater who won the Olympic bronze medal in 1992 and 1994 along with his partner Isabelle Brasseur. Competing in his first Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 200m, and bronze medals in the 100m and 4 x 100m relay. If you don't already know these athletes, you should. Overall, Wickenheiser's played in six Olympic Games. Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. Today, Longo is an all-time great racing cyclist who still competes on the Masters circuits in her 60s. She's the only athlete in history to win multiple medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Canadians may remember the iconic image of her skating around the Salt Lake City Oval with a Canada flag in her hand and a black stetson on her head. 30 Famous Francophones Updated by Celine Cooper To celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2015, The Canadian Encyclopedia created 30 lists of 30 things that make us proud to be Canadian, from famous people and historic events, to iconic foods and influential artists.