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. Canadas National History Society acknowledges that we meet and work across the ancestral lands of many Indigenous peoples: First Nations, Inuit, and Mtis. In 2011, Velma Springstead was posthumously elected as a member of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame. Muhammed Ali said Chuvalo was the toughest fighter he ever faced. Canada does have a strong history of producing great hockey players, skiers, skaters, and athletes who compete in other winter sports. This week its the top 15 athletes in Canadas decorated sports history. Some that come to mind are Hockey Hall of Famer Angela James, the late freestyle skiing legend Sarah Burke, superb athlete and sports administrator Abby Hoffman and others. 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 owned the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. His best-known role was Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride in 1987. Wayne Douglas Gretzky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head. Jeannie Longos athletic career began in her hometown in the French Alps. She never toed the line. Wickenheiser was a member of the Canadian national team for 23 years, leading the team to four gold medals and a silver medal in Nagano when she was just 19. Two different events. 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. Sinclair serves as the captain of the national team and is Canada's all-time leader in caps (247) and goals (167). Harold Ballard was a Canadian sportsman and businessman. He has been a household name in Canada for years as he tore up developmental and junior hockey leagues as a teenager before making his NHL debut at 18 in 2015. Hockey as he is commonly known, still holds the record for most games played in the NHL. Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a former football star who played as an attacking midfielder. Cartier was born in 1814 to a merchant family in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, north of Montral. 6 Cross-country skiing. 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. In 2022, Andre De Grasse won a gold medal at the World Championships. Let's take an appreciation for how difficult it is to OWN your sport for back-to-back Olympics. Hayley Wickenheiser Hometown: Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. He bred and raced Standardbred horses as a hobby. 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. What comes to mind when you think of Canada and sports? The list is in alphabetical order based on last name. He also led the 4 x 100m relay team to a gold medal in the same Olympics. She died in 1981, leaving a powerful legacy of championing the rights of women and the underprivileged. Sinclair has won the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award an outstanding 12 times in her career and is a 6 time nominee of FIFAs World Player of the Year award. Jeannie Longo's athletic career began in her hometown in the French Alps. updated March 31, 2019, 10:41 am, by She retired in January of this year with 168 goals and 211 assists to her name in just 276 career games. 4 Biathlon. Simmerling made history at Rio 2016 by becoming the first Canadian athlete to compete in three different sports in three different Olympic Games. Christine Sinclair Hometown: Burnaby, B.C. 9 Freestyle skiing. Steve Nash Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa (immigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan then Victoria, B.C.). Together, they sang O Canada, tears of joy in their eyes, while nearby stood proud eldest sister Maxime, who finished 12th. Lemieuxs career was ultimately shortened by injury, a mid-career retirement and even cancer, but number 66 is still considered one of the most talented and influential players to ever play the game. A long-time member of the Canadian national team, Sinclair currently has the 2nd most international goals in female soccer history. With so many trailblazers in this country, this list could run off the page. He is regarded as one of the worlds finest brakesmen. Scott resigned WADA's compliance and review committee in 2018 over the reinstatement of Russia's anti-doping agency. Born in Montral in 1786, he grew up at his familys estate and studied law. 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. Louis-Joseph Papineau PATRIOTE LEADER AND POLITICIAN Louis-Joseph Papineau had a reputation as a hero and a defender of the rights of French Canadians, but he was also seen as a traitor to the nation and to the Commonwealth. McBean, one of Canada's most decorated Olympians, and Heddle captured the gold in the coxless pair at Barcelona 1992 and followed it up with gold in the double sculls at Atlanta 1996. Cindy Klassen Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Mike Weir was one of the first Canadians to achieve success at the highest level in golf. She has been tireless in advocating for fitness and an active lifestyle and at 76 years old, she's still carving turns. Between Shirley and Sharon, they won 48 Canadian championships. 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. Cecil Smith, her sister Maude "Jim" Smith, and Constance Wilson competed for Canada in figure skating at the 1928 . They were 19-year-old pups when they represented Canada in London 2012 and veterans when the team finished seventh in Rio 2016. After retiring from tennis in 1932, he became pretty busy with his inventions, filing 20 new patents between the 1960s and 80s. As a cyclist, Hughes competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where she raced to bronze in both the road race and time trial. Anglo-Jamaican in origin, the sportsperson specializes in 100m and 200m and began his athletic career with the USC Trojans while in college. You probably think of hockey and a variety of other winter sports, anything that requires snow and ice. Though Browning never won an Olympic medal, he is one of the most successful and popular Canadian figure skaters of all time. or back-to-back World Cup overall titles, Greene Raine ruled the slopes and inspired the next generation of ski racers, male and female. After 1867, Cartier played a key role in bringing Manitoba and British Columbia into Confederation, secured the repatriation of Ruperts Land, and pushed for the building of the transcontinental railway. Named the Female Athlete of the First Half-Century by Canada, she also excelled in hockey, apart from track and field. 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. It may be shocking to see the likes of Lemieux, Roy and Messier missing but rest assured their talents are not overlooked. by 15 Inspirational Asian Canadians to Know by : Patricia Karounos and Hannah Ziegler - May 25th, 2020 In honour of Asian Heritage Month, we're highlighting Asian-Canadian women and non-binary people for their impact in the realms of culture, fashion, athletics and politics. 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. From the ice to the hardcourt, theres not much doubt about who Canadas greatest basketball player is. This is all thanks to his world-famous eponymous polo shirt brand with the crocodile logo. She represented Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games, where she won a bronze medal. However, the most impressive thing about Oleksiak may be that shes only 16 years of age; more medals and accolades appear to be in her future. We kicked off our series of Canada 150 articles last week with Canadas 15 best ski resorts. If you don't already know these athletes, you should. Despite having just one MLB team, Canada has produced some talented baseball players over the years, but none compare to Fergie Jenkins. Off the field, she continues to be a inspiration to countless Canadian girls with their own dreams of athletic glory. While he started his training in ice hockey at age 5, he later switched to figure skating. Make a donation to Canadas History Society. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin 22/35 Rachel McAdams This Mean Girl was born in London, Ontario. Given the popularity of hockey in Canada, its only fitting a hockey player tops this list of the Top 10 Canadian Athletes. Sinclair has shown unbelievable skill on the field as well as proven to be a true leader of her team again and again. This International Women's Day, let's celebrate some of Canada's female heroes of the past and not-so distant past. Moyse chose to push for next-generation pilot, Alyssa Rissling. She's an advocate for persons with disabilities and has served as Canada's chef de mission for the 2016 Rio Paralympic team and the 2014 Commonwealth Games team. As one of the worlds best decathletes, London, Ontarios Damian Warner is deserving of a spot on this list of the best Canadian athletes. Through her perseverance and dedication to Montral, Jeanne Mance paved the way for what would become the most important city in Canada between 1880 and 1950. Get exclusive content you wont find in our magazines. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. We recognize the resilience of Indigenous storytellers and Knowledge Keepers who have kept their stories alive despite attempts to silence them. 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. He once held the world record for the 100 meters and is considered the greatest Canadian sprinter of all time. Georges St. Pierre Hometown: Montreal, Quebec. MacLennan's second gold was even more remarkable given her battle back from post-concussion syndrome in the lead-up to the Games. Clara Hughes has won six Olympic medals and also has an unusual record as being one of the only athletes in the world to have won medals at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games. 1 ranking from 1926 to 1927. 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. Canadian track and field athlete and Paralympian Rick Hansen is a 3-time Paralympic Games champion. She is an Olympic gold-medalist and 13-time world champion who also competed in track bicycle racing events. Milos Raonic, a tennis player, was born in the former Yugoslavia, but moved with his family to Canada when he was 3 years old. He was the inspiration for the 1998 movie My Giant. He is best known for his performance in the 1984 Olympic Games, where he won two bronze medals. But for these 12 athletes, both seasons are their favourite as they have competed at the summer and winter Olympic Games. Desai Williams also worked as a coach and trained Olympic athletes like Phylicia George, Justyn Warner, and Tremaine Harris among others. Mathieu Drouin is the culture and education manager at Muse des Ursulines de Qubec City. He was traded to Minnesota before making his NBA debut, but quickly made a splash in the league, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season. Before there was Montral, there was Hochelaga a sixteenth-century agricultural community that mysteriously vanished. She is currently captaining the national team and the NWSL club Portland Thorns FC. Whether it was donating to Right to Play or breaking down the stigma around mental illness in Bell's "Let's Talk" campaign, she's a champion through and through. He gradually gave up politics but still had significant influence. Zidane is a Muslim of Algerian-French 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. One of the most beautiful and glamorous female tennis player, Genie Bouchard may not be ranked amongst top 10greatest Canadian athletes right now, but she deserve the honorable spot here. Edmonton basketball stars Michelle and Katherine Plouffe captured gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games, in between representing Canada at back-to-back Olympic Games. Post-retirement, he has been working as a power skating coach. French is also the first official language spoken by 22 per cent of the Canadian population. A large part of that is the career of Christine Sinclair, who can be considered one of the best females to ever play the game. Canadian athlete Earl Thomson, or Tommy Thomson, scripted history as the first non-American to win a 110m hurdles Olympic gold medal. Donnie Wahlberg. Once in Qubec City, she met Marie-Madeleine de Chauvigny de la Peltrie, founder of the Ursulines in Qubec. She followed those medals up with four medals over the span of three Winter Games in speedskating. Comments are welcome while open. 10 Ice hockey. 2016 may have been an even better year for De Grasse. In 2019, The Sports Network named Rachel Homan the fourth-greatest Canadian female curler of all time. He is also the program assistant of Canadas History Society.