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Wayne Gretzky-ice hockey player. He remains the only defenseman to lead the league in scoring, which he did twice, although Brent Burns is trying his best to join Orr in that regard this season. updated March 31, 2019, 10:41 am, by His championship wins and titles are too many to name, but hes won the Indianapolis 500, and the Formula One World Championshiponly the third racer to have done so and the first Canadian to win the Indy 500 and F-1 championships. Being the best at one sport is quite an accomplishment, but being the best at two sports is phenomenal. 19 year old Brooke Henderson is a rising star on the LPGA tour, having already won 3 tournaments (including 1 Major) at the LPGA level. What else needs to be said? The former Canadian senator is better known as the best alpine skier of her day. Christine Sinclair is a Canadian soccer player who plays for the Canadian national team as a forward. In 2022, Andre De Grasse won a gold medal at the World Championships. She is currently ranked an impressive 8th in the world at her sport, a position that she will no doubt surpass in the future. He holds the Canadian record in high jump, clearing 2.40m in 2014. Longos professional racing career started in 1979. Initially, Hughes won two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Kurt Browning. Jean Collas (3 July 1874 in Paris - 30 December 1928 in Asnires-sur-Seine, France) was a French rugby union player and tug of war competitor, who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. A significant milestone, but even more significant is that hes also the first Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Full statement, Copyright 2023Canadas History Society | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions, Website designed and developed by ecentricarts.com, Historical Thinking Community of Practice. Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia. 2021 all rights reserved, SeasonedPros.ca. 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. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. or back-to-back World Cup overall titles, Greene Raine ruled the slopes and inspired the next generation of ski racers, male and female. He gradually gave up politics but still had significant influence. She'll forever be known as the "fastest woman on ice.". He won a gold medal at the 1934 British Empire Games in London, where he represented British Guiana. Football superstar Kylian Mbapp is a forward for the France national team and Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. The 167 goals puts her second all-time in international goals scored, behind American Abby Wambach. Also, Crosby is a complete player with few, if any, weaknesses in his game. Army Howard Army Howard competes in the 4th round of the 100m at the Inter-Allied Games at the Pershing Stadium in Paris in July 1919. She has worn the Canadian jersey at 4 FIFA Womens World Cups and 3 Summer Olympic Games, earning bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. 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. There are parks and lakes and mountain peaks and streets and buildings named after her. To celebrate Canadas 150th anniversary, KelownaNow is shining a light on our amazing country. In 2011, Velma Springstead was posthumously elected as a member of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame. Christine Sinclair, one of the best female soccer players ever, comes in at #8 on our list. 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. 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. Parker himself turned pro at the age of 17. 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. 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. Lionel Conacher Hometown: Toronto, Ontario. Scarborough, Ontarios Andre De Grasse was a relatively late bloomer in the sport of track and field, as he didnt seriously begin racing until he was partway through high school. She sings in both French and English, layering beautiful vocal hooks and incredible musical arrangements into one awesome package. 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. He spent five years inside the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings, sandwiched around his historic Masters win in 2003. Article Angela Chalmers. The list features athletes from a wide variety of sports and eras. He had a permanently damaged lung due to an accident. Ren Lacoste had fared well in his athletics career as well. 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. Donovan Bailey is a retired Jamaican-Canadian sprinter. Name just about any hockey record and youll see that the legendary 99 holds it firmly. 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. Today, Longo is an all-time great racing cyclist who still competes on the Masters circuits in her 60s. READ MORE: Interesting Facts About Kylian Mbapp. Angela Frances Chalmers, world-class distance runner from Birdtail Sioux First Nation (born 6 September 1963 in Brandon, MB).Chalmers is one of the most accomplished Indigenous athletes in Canada. Obviously the diamond took a back seat to the ice as she went on to the most prolific career in women's hockey. She was a downhill skier before switching to cycling at the urging of her coach, Patrice Ciprelli, who later became her husband. Hundreds of thousands came out to celebrate and in 1950, Rosenfeld was named Canada's female athlete of the first half of the century. CBC Sports' Signa Butler celebrates some of Canada's most storied female athletes. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Before there was Montral, there was Hochelaga a sixteenth-century agricultural community that mysteriously vanished. Milos Raonic, a tennis player, was born in the former Yugoslavia, but moved with his family to Canada when he was 3 years old. Born in Montral in 1786, he grew up at his familys estate and studied law. At that point, Greene had already won several high-profile events in Canada and The States. 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. Overall, Wickenheiser's played in six Olympic Games. From 1972 to 1984, Shirley and Sharon Firth went to four consecutive Winter Olympics, shaped the sport of cross-country skiing in the north and ignited a conversation around indigenous culture. Make a donation to Canadas History Society. His illustrious career has seen him compete internationally for Jamaica, Canada, and Monaco. Primarily a speed skater, Hughes also won two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a former football star who played as an attacking midfielder. Kim Brunhuber, former CBC anchor Pierre Bruneau, TVA Nathalie Chung, RDI / SRC Bernard Derome, SRC / RDI Simon Durivage, RDI / SRC Cline Galipeau, SRC / RDI Bill Haugland, CTV Jean-Luc Mongrain, TQS, TVA Pascale Nadeau, SRC Mutsumi Takahashi, CTV Sophie Thibault, TVA Todd van der Heyden, CTV Artists and entertainers [ edit] A true family affair. In the 2020 Olympics, Sinclair helped her team win the gold medal. Hockey as he is commonly known, still holds the record for most games played in the NHL. Nancy Greene Widely regarded as Canada's top female athlete of the 20th century, Greene was a trailblazer for female Canadian athletes. Nicknamed Tiger (well before the golfer! He has won two silver medals and three bronze medals in two Olympic Games so far. 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. In total, Canada's women's track and field team won two gold, two silver and a bronze and earned the nickname: The Matchless Six. This International Womens Day, lets celebrate some of Canada's female heroes of the past and not-so distant past. Ethel Smith (1907 - 1979). Eventually Bourassa resigned from the Liberal party and became an independent MP. In span of his career, he had 10 grand slams to boot, 24 career titles, and was at No. Few athletes on this list hold the type of legacy that Fox has among Canadians. by Gretzky is the only NHL player to ever total more than 200 points in a single season, and he didnt just do it once, but four times. While he has yet to win a Grand Slam tournament, he did reach his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2016, and reached the semi-finals at both the 2016 Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2014. He retired in 2019, ending his basketball career as the ninth leading post-season scorer in NBA history. Though they went undefeated (27-0) through FOUR Olympic Games (1924-1936), there were no gold medals to show around their necks. A lot can happen in four years. 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. Guillemot held world records in 2,000 meters and 3,000 meters. 10 Ice hockey. Mance quickly established a basic hospital that would later become the Htel-Dieu de Montral. Mario Lemieux -- When looking at the top-five French speaking players of all time, No . Here are the top 10 greatest celebrated Canadian athletes of all time; 1. She represented Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games, where she won a bronze medal. Two-time national champion and retired Canadian figure skater Nam Nguyen has also been a World Junior Champion in 2014. The 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, women were allowed to compete in track and field for the first time and the Canadian women headed straight to the podium. Top 10 Canadian Athletes Right Now Sidney Crosby - Hockey Penny Oleksiak - Swimming Andre De Grasse - Track and field Milos Raonic - Tennis Damian Warner Derek Drouin - High jumper Brooke Henderson - Golf Christine Sinclair - Soccer Connor McDavid - Hockey Andrew Wiggins - Basketball Eugenie Bouchard - Tennis Mathieu Drouin is the culture and education manager at Muse des Ursulines de Qubec City. In that vein, here are, in my opinion, the five greatest French-speaking skaters and goalies of all time. And this weekend Sidney Crosby will be taking his second Stanley Cup home to his Nova Scotia hometown. Just before winning four consecutive Olympic gold medals in hockey, Wickenheiser starred for the softball team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He gave up his lucrative running career in 1916 to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces where his endurance was invaluable as a dispatch carrier in France; he was wounded twice and declared dead once. 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. This laid the groundwork for a federation of the British colonies. The moment she won Canada's first-ever cross-country medal at an Olympic Games, Beckie Scott made history, but she could not have known how that achievement would forge the next part of her life. Eisler also won a gold medal, three silver medals, and two bronze medals at the World Championships between 1985 and 1994. A self-proclaimed Francophile, I love everything France. named GSP the Canadian Athlete of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and only Anderson Silva (2,457 days) had a longer title run than GSP (2,204 days). Hes a 23-time NHL All-Star and held a number of hockeys scoring records until Wayne Gretzky broke them in the 1980s. 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. ), if Nancy Greene pounced, there wasn't much her competition could do about it. 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. Brooke has been a top-10 competitor on the LPGA for a couple years now, but she's still just 21 years old. He also won the 4x100m relay at the 2018 NACAC Championships. Lets dive into the list of some of the most famous French athletes of all time. Penny Oleksiak impressed the entire country with her four medals in last summers Summer games, but it doesnt compare to Cindy Klassens performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe are two among the most famous ice hockey players the country has seen. He is also a former Commonwealth Champion and a 2-time World Champion. Previously, she had won the bronze medal and the silver medal at the 2013 and 2014 World Curling Championships respectively. . Steve Nash was initially drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1996, but was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998 where established himself as one of the leagues best passers. Now, Humphries competes for the United States after an acrimonious split from the Canadian program. Probably Canadas most famous Paralympic athlete, hes won three golds, two silvers and one bronze between 1980 and 1984. The Canadian Press awards the Lionel Conacher award to the countrys male athlete of the year. 2016 may have been an even better year for De Grasse. When you have those kinds of stats, you can find yourself on a Google Doodle or in a Heritage Minute. She retired in January of this year with 168 goals and 211 assists to her name in just 276 career games. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). 1. 48.39, Jean Collas is the 6th most famous French Athlete. Greene is now a large figure in the B.C. Throughout the years, hundreds of Canadian athletes have made their mark on the world of sport and represented Canada at the highest level. 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. Thousands of pieces form Montrals historical patchwork quilt. Though Browning never won an Olympic medal, he is one of the most successful and popular Canadian figure skaters of all time. He is best known for his charitable endeavor, Man in Motion World Tour, and is associated with many initiatives to fund spinal cord treatment research. 5 Bobsleigh. 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. George-tienne Cartiers vision of a Canada that combined the British and French nations was the basis for the creation of our modern country. Steve Nash Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa (immigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan then Victoria, B.C.). Widely considered as the greatest all-around player in hockey history, Howe set the bar by playing until age 52, a mark that has never been beat. He is deemed one of the worlds greatest athletes. She intends to go for gold again with the Stars and Stripes at Beijing 2022. High Jumper Derek Drouin takes the 6th spot on our list of The Top 10 Canadian Athletes. She competed in track and field at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. Her bronze in the 5,000 metres in Vancouver was epic. Shes also Canadas most decorated female athlete, with 24 medals in speed skating. Zidane, popularly called Zizou by his adoring fans, is one of the eight players to have won the World Cup, the Ballon dOr, and the Champions League. She had been threatened with expulsion from the tournament if she continued to miss press obligations. 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. 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. No surprise she was voted the top female Canadian athlete of the 20th century. Mark McKoy is a three-time Commonwealth champion, having won gold medals at the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games. She moved on to ski cross in Sochi 2014 and was predicted to be in the medal hunt at PyeongChang 2018 until she broke both legs in a World Cup event just before the Games. Like Terry Fox, Rick Hansen is often honoured for his courage and strength against adversity, but hes also celebrated as a truly gifted athlete. 6.Jean Collas (1874 - 1928). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Steve Nashs stature may not immediately make you regard him as an amazing basketball player, but you know what they say about judging books by their covers. In the early 2000s, Mike Weir was the guy from Canada and he was one of the best players on tour. After being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, Papineau became the leader of the Parti Canadien, which later became the Patriote party. He transformed from a moderate politician to a radical, openly attacking institutions such as the Legislative Council, whose non-elected members controlled the country. At her first Olympics at London 2012, George made the 100 hurdles final, finishing sixth. A 16-year span of dominance! Percy Williams was a Canadian athlete best remembered for winning two gold medals at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The first ever World Cup ski race was held in 1967. Desai Williams was a Canadian sprinter best remembered for winning a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She's got her eyes on a fourth Games in Tokyo this summer. updated August 31, 2017, 8:31 pm, Top 10 Canadian Athletes in The World Right Now, The 10 best women volleyball players in the world, Top 20 Most Famous Female Volleyball Players in the World, Top 10 Best Sports for Girls to Play and Their Benefits, The Top 20 Tallest Soccer Players of All Time, Top 15 Most Bizarre Sports That Actually Exist, 20 Hottest Female Volleyball Players (2023 Updated), 10 Internet Hoaxes Almost Everybody Believed, 10 Camping Pranks That Bring a Lot of Fun Outdoors, Top 10 Crazy Pranks to Pull on Your Brother, 10 Mass Panic Caused By Seemingly Harmless Pranks, Hot Bolivian Women: Meet The 10 Most Beautiful Girl from Bolivia, Top 10 Most Beautiful and Hottest Cambodian Women. The following is a list of Canadian sports personalities. Crosby has been a household name in Canada since he was a young teenager, as he dominated every age group. Wickenheiser also represented Canada once in the Summer Olympics as a part of the softball team. 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. Canada's greatest wheelchair racer of all-time blazes trails wherever her career takes her - as an athlete, advocate or politician. After a spinal cord injury at 15, he became a paraplegic. 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. Olympic silver medalist Canadian long-distance runner Mohammed Ahmed scripted history as Canadas first medal winner at the 5,000m at both the World Championships and the Olympics. Get exclusive content you wont find in our magazines. He has won World Championship gold medals with Canada at both the Junior (2015) and Senior (2016) level. Legendary Canadian female athletes you should know | CBC Sports Loaded. Simmerling made history at Rio 2016 by becoming the first Canadian athlete to compete in three different sports in three different Olympic Games. When things went wrong in seventeenth-century Quebec, authorities were not above blaming black magic. Here are the Top 10 Canadian athletes in the world today. She's regarded as the greatest women's hockey player of all-time, but at one point, she traded in that hockey stick, helmet & shoulder pads for a bat, ball & glove. Sinclair serves as the captain of the national team and is Canada's all-time leader in caps (247) and goals (167). Christine Sinclair Hometown: Burnaby, B.C. Raonic has 8 ATP titles to his name, and has earned over $14 million (USD) in career winnings. In 1970, then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Casgrain to the Canadian Senate. With an HPI of . She ran the anchor leg for Jane Bell, Ethel Smith and Myrtle Cook as Canada won gold in the inaugural 4x100-metre relay. He bred and raced Standardbred horses as a hobby. Born William Anthony Parker, Jr., in Belgium to an African-American father and a Dutch mother, Tony Parker was raised in France and became a naturalized French citizen at the age of 15. At 7 feet and 4 inches tall, which was a result of acromegaly, Andr Ren Roussimoff was better known by his fitting ring name Andr the Giant., Roussimoff started his wrestling career in 1966, relocating to North America five years later and consequently becoming a mainstay of World Wrestling Federation (then called World Wide Wrestling Federation or WWWF), where he easily became a fan favorite. He also led the 4 x 100m relay team to a gold medal in the same Olympics. During this time, she also championed human rights while serving on various federal councils and founded several associations that worked for the welfare of women. The title of Worlds Greatest Athlete has often been reserved for the best decathlete in the world, as the sport requires all-around ability in a variety of running, throwing, and jumping events. 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).