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Create AccountHardworking and tenacious, Ted Kennedy typified the powerful, tough checking Maple Leaf teams built by Conn SMYTHE. In 1946 he and players Howie Meeker and Vic Lynn formed the renowned KLM Line, which helped the Leafs to another 3 Stanley Cup victories from 1947-49.
Anne Heggtveit, alpine skier (b at Ottawa 11 Jan 1939). Following in the footsteps of her father and uncles, cross-country skiing champions and former Olympians, Anne Heggtveit started skiing at age 2 and by 7 was the senior ladies combined champion at Camp Fortune.
On 6 June 2014, author Jeremy Freeborn interviewed three-time Olympic medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir for The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Dr. James Naismith, physical educator, author, inventor, chaplain, physician (born 6 November 1861 in Almonte, Ontario; died 28 November 1939 in Lawrence, Kansas). James Naismith is best known as the inventor of the sport of basketball. He was also the first full-time athletics instructor at McGill University and established the basketball program at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where he worked and lived for 41 years until his death. Naismith became the first member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959. He was posthumously inducted to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame. In 2010, his original hand-written rules for the sport of basketball were sold at auction for $4.3 million, a sports memorabilia record.
Stephen "Steve" Gregory Yzerman, hockey player, general manager (born 9 May 1965 in Cranbrook, BC). National Hockey League (NHL) superstar Steve Yzerman, a career Detroit Red Wing known for his exceptional sportsmanship and leadership abilities, is the longest-serving captain in the league's history. Yzerman was captain of the Detroit Red Wings from 1986 to 2006, and led the team to three Stanley Cup victories. In 2002, he won an Olympic gold medal as part of the men’s hockey team. He was also executive director of the men’s hockey teams that won Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014. Yzerman became vice president of the Detroit Red Wings following his retirement as a player, and in 2010 became general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Patrick Roy, hockey player, hockey coach (born 5 October 1965 in Québec City, QC). One of the greatest goaltenders in National Hockey League (NHL) history, Roy is a three-time Vezina Trophy winner (best goaltender in the NHL) and three-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner (most valuable player to his team in the NHL playoffs). Roy played in 19 NHL seasons from 1985 to 2003 with the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche. He ranks second all-time in career regular-season victories (551), and has the NHL record for most career playoff victories for a goaltender (151). Roy also holds the Avalanche franchise records for most shutouts in a career (37) and shutouts in a single season (9), which he set in 2001–02.
Douglas Richard Flutie, football player, philanthropist (born 23 October 1962 in Manchester, Maryland). Doug Flutie is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in Canadian Football League (CFL) history. A Heisman Trophy winner as the best player in US college football, Flutie went on to play for eight teams in three different leagues over a 21-year pro football career (1985–2006). A quarterback with the CFL’s BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts, he appeared in four Grey Cup games and won three championships, earning MVP honours in all three victories. Flutie is the first non-Canadian inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (2007). In 1998, he and his wife established the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.
Bill Barilko, hockey player (born at Timmins, Ont, 25 May 1927; died in northern Ontario, 26 Aug 1951). Bill Barilko was a hard-hitting defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There are stories for every scar on Steve Yzerman's otherwise handsome mug, and they are not for the faint of heart. They tell of a man who, though comparatively slight by modern National Hockey League standards (five-11, 185 lb.), isn't afraid of the rough going.
Ronald "Ron" Michael Francis, hockey player (b at Sault Ste Marie, Ont 1 Mar 1963). Ron Francis' long career in hockey garnered him several awards and he is known as one of the NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE's best-ever playmakers.
Bill Vigars discusses Terry Fox’s inspiration for the Marathon of Hope in a 2015 interview with Historica Canada
Connor McDavid, hockey player (born 13 January 1997 in Richmond Hill, ON). A two-time National Hockey League All-Star, McDavid plays for the Edmonton Oilers. One of the best skaters in the game, McDavid is also an elite playmaker. Since breaking into the NHL in 2015, McDavid has established himself as one of the most dynamic offensive stars in the league. He has won the Art Ross Trophy (2017, 2018), Ted Lindsay Award (2017, 2018) and Hart Memorial Trophy (2017). McDavid has also won gold medals with Team Canada at the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship (2013), IIHF World Junior Championship (2015) and IIHF World Championship (2016).
Henry “Gizmo” Williams, football player, motivational speaker (born 31 May 1962 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States). Gizmo Williams is considered the greatest return specialist in the history of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In 14 seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos (now Edmonton Elks) between 1986 and 2000, Williams set more than 20 CFL records, several of which still stand, including most punt returns (1,003); most yards on punt returns (11,134 yards); and most touchdowns on punt returns (26). He won the Grey Cup with Edmonton in 1987 and 1993 and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Three successive victories over the local champion Thomas Loudon led a group of Torontonians in 1876 to form the Hanlan Club to back Hanlan as a professional. The club bought him an English-made shell and equipped it with a sliding seat and swivel oarlocks.
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on 5 March 2005. Partner content is not updated.
ON THE FIRST TRULY WARM DAY of a Gaspé spring, Sidney Crosby is putting the pond back into HOCKEY. He and his Rimouski Océanic teammates have gathered at the Colisée, a gracefully aging 4,300-seater perched about a kilometre above the St.Michael "Mike" Bossy, hockey player (born 22 January 1957 in Montreal, QC; died 15 April 2022 in Montreal). After starring for the Laval Nationals in junior, Bossy joined the New York Islanders in 1977-78. He scored 53 goals that year, becoming the first rookie in National Hockey League history to record a 50 goal season, a feat that earned him the Calder Trophy. He proved this was not a fluke by registering 50 or more goals for each of the next eight seasons, including a remarkable 50 goals in the first 50 games of the 1980-81 season, equalling the 26-year-old record established by Maurice Richard.
Thomas Charles Longboat (Gagwe:gih), distance runner, Olympian (born 4 July 1886 in Ohsweken, Six Nations of the Grand River; died 9 January 1949 in Ohsweken). Tom Longboat was an Onondaga distance runner from Six Nations of the Grand River. One of the most famous athletes of the early 20th century, Longboat pioneered training methods still used today. He is considered one of the first celebrity athletes in Canada, with his athletic successes known across North America and overseas. He was a leader in establishing marathon running as an international sport and won many marathons in record-breaking times, beating competitors from all over the world. Longboat was the first Indigenous person to win the Boston Marathon (1907). He competed for Canada at the 1908 Olympic Games. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
Christine Nesbitt, speed skater (b at Melbourne, Australia, 17 May 1985). Christine Nesbitt is an internationally renowned athlete in SPEED SKATING. Nesbitt moved to London, Ont with her family at a young age and soon became involved in a variety of winter sports, including hockey.
Danielle Goyette, hockey player, coach (born 30 January 1966 in Saint-Nazaire d'Acton, QC). Goyette was a member of the Canadian women’s national hockey team from 1991 to 2008. In 172 international matches, she won eight world championships, twenty gold medals, and four silver medals. She is a member of the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame. Goyette was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2018.
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 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.
