Karen Magnussen
Karen Diane Magnussen (Magnussen-Cella), OC, figure skater, skating coach (born 4 April 1952 in Vancouver, BC).
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Create AccountKaren Diane Magnussen (Magnussen-Cella), OC, figure skater, skating coach (born 4 April 1952 in Vancouver, BC).
In Dec 1992 she finished third in Vail, Colo, and in Feb 1993 she missed winning in the downhill at Veysonnaz, Switz, by 9/100ths of a second, finishing in second place. Her most successful season came in 1992-93, and she finished the year as one of the top-ranked downhillers in the world.
Bertrand Godin, competitive driver, automotive columnist, host (born at Saint-Hélène-de-Bagot, Que 17 Nov 1967).
Nancy Catherine “Tiger” Greene Raine, OC, OBC, alpine skier (born 11 May 1943 in Ottawa, ON). Olympic gold medallist Nancy Greene was named Canada’s best female athlete of the 20th century by the Canadian Press. A two-time World Cup alpine skiing champion, Greene competed in slalom, giant slalom and downhill. Her fierce and aggressive style earned her the nickname “Tiger.” Her 13 World Cup victories are the most ever by a Canadian. Greene received the Lou Marsh Trophy (now the Northern Star Award) as Canada’s athlete of the year in 1967 and 1968. She retired from skiing at the age of 24 and later became a member of the Senate of Canada (2009–18). She has been inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, the US Ski and Snowboarding Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Milos Raonic, tennis player (born 27 December 1990 in Titograd, Yugoslavia [now Podgorica, Montenegro]). Known for having one of the best serves in the history of tennis, Milos Raonic is the only Canadian male tennis player ever to reach the singles final of a Grand Slam tennis tournament, qualifying for the final of Wimbledon 2016 before losing to Andy Murray of Great Britain. Raonic reached 19 finals on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour between 2011 and 2016, winning eight men’s singles titles. He has more career victories in the history of the ATP tour than all other Canadian men’s singles tennis players combined. He was named ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year in 2011, and received the Lionel Conacher Award as top Canadian male athlete in 2013 and 2014. In November 2016, he was ranked third in the world, the highest ranking every achieved by a Canadian tennis player, male or female.
Aloha Wanderwell, adventurer (b Idris Hall at Winnipeg 13 October 1906; d at Newport Beach, California 4 June 1996). Aloha Wanderwell was the daughter of British Army reservist Herbert Hall, an extremely prosperous Vancouver Island rancher and developer.
Yvon Durelle (the Fighting Fisherman), boxer (born 14 October 1929 in Baie-Sainte-Anne, NB; died 6 January 2007 in Moncton, NB). Yvon Durelle was an Acadian boxer. A heavy-handed power puncher, Durelle was Canadian middleweight champion (1953) and light heavyweight champion (1953–57); as well as British Empire light heavyweight champion (1957). In 1958, he earned international fame for a legendary 11-round slugfest against defending world champion Archie Moore at the Forum in Montreal. Durelle had a career record of 88 wins (49 by knockout), 24 losses and two draws. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, the Maritime Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame. He died at 77 following a years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
In the 13 years that Joe DiMaggio played centre field for the New York Yankees, he patrolled a Grand Canyon in left-centre with the grace and sweep of a sea gull.
The Paris Crew was a rowing team from Saint John, New Brunswick, that achieved global acclaim days after Confederation by placing first at the International Regatta during the Paris Exposition of 1867.
Russell Nathan Jeanson Coltrane Martin, Jr., baseball player (born 15 February 1983 in East York [Toronto], ON). Russell Martin made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut as a catcher in 2006. He played five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, two with the New York Yankees and two with the Pittsburgh Pirates before signing a five-year, $82 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on 18 November 2014. Known for his intensity, athleticism and intelligence, Martin is regarded as one of the best defensive catchers in the majors. A four-time All-Star, he won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger Award in 2007 — only the third catcher in history to receive both awards.
In 1975, alpine skier Ken Read became the first North American to win a World Cup downhill race. For a period of about ten years, Read and three other young Canadians — Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, and Steve Podborski — challenged the European ski establishment and changed the course of ski racing history in Canada.
Kenneth John Read, alpine skier (b at Ann Arbor, Mich 6 Nov 1955). He was raised in Calgary and began skiing at 3 and competing at 8.
Donna Lori Fung, gymnast (b at Vancouver 21 Feb 1963). Lori Fung excelled in a sport that at the time was virtually unheard of in Canada's sporting world. She began serious competition at age 21 and soon rose to the top of the ranks.
Terrence Gordon Sawchuk, hockey goalkeeper (b at Winnipeg 28 Dec 1929; d at New York 31 May 1970). He played junior hockey in Winnipeg and Galt, Ont, turning professional at age 17 with Omaha.
Ernestine “Ernie” Jean Russell, gymnast, coach (born 10 June 1938 in Windsor, ON). Ernestine Russell was Canada’s best female gymnast of the 1950s. She was the first woman to represent Canada in gymnastics at the Olympic Summer Games, at Melbourne in 1956. She was also the first Canadian gymnast ever to medal in an international competition, at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, where she won four gold medals and two silver. She won 46 gold medals at the Canadian Gymnastics Championships between 1954 and 1960. She also had a successful career coaching women’s gymnastics at the NCAA level and with Team USA. She has been inducted into the Canadian Amateur Athletic Hall of Fame and the US Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
William Osser Cook, hockey player (b at Brantford, Ont 6 Oct 1896; d at Kingston 5 May 1986). He played 12 seasons with the New York Rangers on an effective line with his brother Bun and Frank Boucher.
When the new heavyweight champion, Riddick Bowe, whom Lewis had beaten in the Olympic gold medal bout, refused to defend his title against Lewis, the World Boxing Council stripped Bowe of the title and awarded it to Lewis.
From 1936 to 1940 Dorothy Walton dominated Canadian women's BADMINTON, winning 64 open doubles and singles championships at Canadian, Ontario, and New England competitions, all the while not letting her tennis rank fall below 6th place in Canada.
Laurie Graham, alpine skier (b at Orangeville, Ont 30 Mar 1960). A skier from the age of 5, she began competing in the Nancy Greene Ski League at 10 and reached the international circuit at 17, winning the Nor-Am downhill championship in her first year.
Stephen John Nash, OC, OBC, basketball player (born 7 February 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa). Steve Nash is widely considered the greatest Canadian basketball player of all time. He is a two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the first Canadian to win the award. A point guard, Nash was an eight-time NBA all-star. He ranks third on the NBA’s all-time assists leaderboard with 10,335 and second in career free-throw percentage with 90.43 per cent. He represented Canada in international competition and led the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team to the quarter-finals of the 2000 Olympic Summer Games. Nash is a three-time winner of the Lionel Conacher Award as Canada’s best male athlete. He won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete in 2005. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been inducted into the Order of British Columbia, Canada’s Walk of Fame, the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honour and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame on 27 May 2020 and will be formally inducted in 2021. He was named the head coach of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets on 3 September 2020.