50 of Canada’s most illustrious athletes who got their first taste of glory at the Canada Games

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This article was published 29/07/2017 (3192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before an Olympics, a world championship or a Stanley Cup final, the Canada Games were the biggest sporting event in the career of many of our nation’s most well-known athletes.

Olympians Cindy Klassen, Adam van Koeverden, Catriona Le May Doan, Jennifer Botterill, Doreen Botterill, Natalie Spooner and Kaitlyn Lawes are among those athletes who got their start at the Canada Games and the group of talented Canadians was on hand at the Manitoba Club on Friday morning to share their Canada Games memories and talk about how the Games impacted their careers.

“It’s a very special event. I think for all of the athletes here, it’s been a fun period of reflection for us to think about the huge impact the Canada Games had on our careers, as people, and as athletes. It’s a privilege for me to be here to celebrate with everyone to kick off the games,” said three-time women’s hockey Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Botterill

Olympic gold medalist Van Koeverden competed at the 1997 Canada Games in Brandon, which was the last time this province hosted the event. The recently retired kayaker says he still thinks fondly of the Games and is happy to be back in the province to celebrate this year’s Games.

“This province was the site of my first multi-games experience. It was my first time getting on a plane for a race. It represents a lot to me so when I was asked to be here to carry a flag and take part in some of these opportunities, it was an obvious yes,” said Van Koeverden.

Klassen has been to three Canada Games and she says they have grown tremendously over the years. She says it’s great for Canadian athletes and sports in general, and that she considers her Games’ experiences to be “very special”.

“Having that history of competing in the Games and what the Games meant to me throughout my career and life, coming here to give back is a huge honour for me,” said Klassen.

With this year’s Canada Games being the 50th anniversary and with some legendary athletes in town to celebrate, we decided to look back and come up with a list of the best 50 athletes to have ever competed at the Canada Games. They are unranked, so feel free to discuss amongst yourselves:

Susan Auch

1983 Canada Winter Games in Saguenay/Lac-St-Jean, Quebec

1985 Canada Summer Games in Saint John, New Brunswick

Team Manitoba — Speed Skating/Cycling

The Winnipegger won three medals during her five trips to the Winter Olympics.

Angela Bailey

1977 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland

Team Ontario — Athletics

Bailey set the Canadian women’s 100-m sprint record with a time of 10.98 seconds in 1987.

Darren Barber

1985 Canada Summer Games in Saint John, New Brunswick

Team BC — Rowing

Barber won a gold medal in coxed eights at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Kirsten Barnes

1985 Canada Summer Games in Saint John, New Brunswick

Team BC — Rowing

Barnes won two gold medals at the Canada Games before she won two gold medals in rowing at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

 

Éric Bédard

1995 Canada Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alberta

Team Quebec — Speed Skating

Bedard won gold at the 1998 Nagano and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics in short track speed skating.

Anthony Bennett

2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island

Team Ontario — Basketball

Bennett became the first Canadian player to be drafted first overall in an NBA draft when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him with the top pick in 2013.

Jennifer Botterill

1995 Canada Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alberta

Team Manitoba — Ringette

Winnipeg’s Botterill won three Olympic gold medals and five World Women’s Hockey Championships for Team Canada during her career.

Eugenie Bouchard

2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island

Team Quebec — Tennis

Five years after winning Canada Games gold, Bouchard made it to the final of Wimbledon.

Gaetan Boucher

1971 Canada Winter Games in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Competed for Team Quebec — Speed Skating

Boucher was Canada’s flag bearer at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, where he won two gold medals.

Jay Bouwmeester

1999 Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, NL

Competed for Team Alberta — Hockey

Bouwmeester won Canada Games gold with Team Alberta in 1999 before he helped Canada to men’s hockey gold in 2014 in Sochi.

Debbie Brill

1969 Canada Summer Games in Halifax-Darthmouth, Nova Scotia

Team BC — Athletics

Brill has a Canada Games gold medal to her name as well as the Canadian women’s record in the high jump which she set in 1984.

Ryan Cochrane

2005 Canada Summer Games in Regina, Saskatchewan

Team BC — Swimming

No Canadian male had won a medal in the 1500m freestyle swim in 88 years until Cochrane took home a bronze in the race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Sidney Crosby

2003 Canada Winter Games in Bathurst-Campbellton, New Brunswick

Team Nova Scotia — Hockey

15-year old “Sid the Kid” led the 2003 Games in goals scored (9), points (16) and led Nova Scotia to their highest place finish (6th) since 1979.

AndreDe Grasse

2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec

Team Ontario — Athletics

De Grasse won three gold medals at the 2013 Canada Games and four years later, he’d win three medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He is the first Canadian sprinter to win three medals in a single Olympics.

Alexandre Despatie

1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Manitoba

Team Quebec — Diving

Despatie won his first of nine Commonwealth Games gold medals at the age of 13 in 1998.

Sylvie Daigle

1979 Canada Winter Games in Brandon, Manitoba

Team Quebec — Speed Skating

Daigle is a five-time overall world speed skating champion and was a part of the gold medal winning relay team at the 1992 Albertville Olympics.

Hugh Fisher

1973 Canada Summer Games in New Westminster-Burnaby

Team BC — Canoe/Kayak

The sprint kayaker won a bronze and gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Marc Gagnon

1991 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island

Team Quebec — Speed Skating

Gagnon won Olympic gold medals and is a four-time Overall World Champion in short track speed skating.

Bob Gainey

1971 Canada Winter Games in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Team Ontario — Hockey

Before Gainey won five Stanley Cups for the Montreal Canadiens, he helped Team Ontario win hockey gold at the 1971 Canada Games in Saskatoon.

Nicolas Gill

1987 Canada Winter Games in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Team Quebec — Judo

Gill was Canada’s flag bearer at the 2004 Olympics in Athens after winning a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Danielle Goyette

1985 Canada Summer Games in Saint John, New Brunswick

Team Quebec — Softball

She played softball at the Canada Games, but Goyette is known for being the flag bearer at the 2006 Turin Olympics and winning two Olympic gold medals apart of the women’s hockey team.

Charles Hamelin

2003 Canada Winter Games in Bathurst-Campbellton, New Brunswick

Team Québec — Speed Skating

The short track speed skating star won three Olympic gold medals in his career, two of which came at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Jennifer Heil

1999 Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

Team Alberta — Freestyle Skiing

Heil won Canada Games gold at the age of 15 before she won gold for Canada at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

 

Greg Joy

1973 Canada Summer Games in New Westminster-Burnaby, BC

Team BC — Athletics

Joy was the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal after winning a silver medal in the high jump.

Catriona Le May Doan

1983 Canada Winter Games in Saguenay/Lac-St-Jean, Quebec

1987 Canada Winter Games in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

1993 Canada Summer Games in Kamloops British Columbia

Team Saskatchewan­ — Speed Skating/Athletics

After three trips to the Canada Games, Le May Doan went on to win a gold medal in the 500-m race at the 1998 Nagano and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Lennox Lewis

1983 Canada Winter Games in Saguenay/Lac-St-Jean, Quebec

Team Ontario — Boxing

Lewis won gold for Canada at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul before becoming the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 1999.

Christine Nesbitt

2003 Canada Winter Games in Bathurst-Campbellton, New Brunswick

1999 Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

Team Ontario — Speed Skating

Nesbitt won a silver at the 2006 Turin Olympics and a gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics before she set the Canadian women’s speedskating record in the 1000-m race in 2012.

Paul Kariya

1991 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island

Competed for Team BC — Hockey

Kariya has won gold at the World Juniors, World Championships and Olympics for Canada.

Cindy Klassen

1995 Canada Winter Games in Grand Prairie, Alberta

1999 Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador

2001 Canada Summer Games in London, Ontario

Team Manitoba — Speed Skating/Cycling

Winnipeg’s Klassen never won a medal at the Canada Games, but she did become the first Canadian to win five medals at one Olympics after her incredible performance at the 2006 Turin Games.

Corey Koskie

1993 Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, British Columbia

Team Manitoba — Baseball

The Anola, Manitoba native helped Team Toba to a fourth place finish at the 1993 Canada Games before playing in the MLB from 1998-2006.

Todd MacCulloch

1993 Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, British Columbia

Team Manitoba — Basketball

MacCulloch and Team Manitoba beat Steve Nash and Team BC 72-70 at the 1993 Canada Games. The seven footer went on to play four seasons in the NBA and is still the only Manitoban to have ever played in the league.

Russell Martin

2001 Canada Summer Games in London

Team Quebec — Baseball

The four-time MLB All-Star signed a five year, $82 million dollar contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014.

Diana Matheson

2001 Canada Summer Games in London

Team Ontario — Soccer

Matheson scored the game winning goal in the 92nd minute of the bronze medal match against France at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mark McMorris

2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse

Team Saskatchewan — Snowboard

The 23-year-old has won seven gold medals at the X Games.

Heather Moyse

1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Manitoba

2001 Canada Summer Games in London, Ontario

Team Prince Edward Island — Athletics

Competed twice at the Canada Summer Games, but Moyse is known for winning two Olympic gold medals in the two-woman bobsled.

Nathalie Lambert

1979 Canada Winter Games in Brandon, Manitoba

Team Quebec — Speed Skating

The short-track speed skater won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville and has 16 World Championships gold medals on her resume as well.

Patrick Marleau

1995 Canada Winter Games in Grande Prairie, Alberta

Team Saskatchewan — Hockey

The San Jose Sharks all-time leader in goals and points has won two Olympic gold medals for Canada.

Kylie Masse

2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec

Team Ontario — Swimming

Last week, the 21-year old broke the world record in the 100-metre backstroke with a time of 58.10 seconds at the world aquatics championships in Budapest.

Steve Nash

1993 Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, British Columbia

Team BC — Basketball

The two-time NBA MVP and eight-time NBA All-Star is now the general manager of the Canadian men’s national basketball team.

Marie-Philip Poulin

2011 Canada Summer Games in Halifax

Team Quebec — Hockey

The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been referred to as the “Sidney Crosby of women’s hockey”.

Chris Pronger

1991 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island

Team Ontario — Hockey

Pronger is one of ten Canadian players in the Triple Gold Club, having won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and a gold medal at the World Championships.

Clara Hughes

1991 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island

Team Manitoba — Speed skating

The Winnipeg speed skater and cyclist won six medals between the summer and winter Olympics.

Desiree Scott

2005 Canada Summer Games in Regina, Saskatchewan

Team Manitoba — Soccer

The former Manitoba Bison has helped the Canadian women’s soccer team to two Olympic bronze medals.

Natalie Spooner

2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Team Ontario — Hockey

In 2014, Spooner became the first player in history to win the Canada Women’s Hockey Championship and the Olympics in the same year.

Steven Stamkos

2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon

Team Ontario — Hockey

Stamkos led Team Ontario to a gold medal in hockey at the 2007 Canada Games and was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning the year after.

Bruny Surin

1985 Canada Summer Games in Saint John, New Brunswick

Team Quebec — Athletics

Surin won gold with Donovan Bailey at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta as a member of the 4x100m relay team.

Adam van Koeverden

1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Manitoba

Team Ontario — Canoe/Kayak

Won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete in the same year.

Chantal van Landeghem

2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island

Team Manitoba — Swimming

The 23-year old Winnipeg swimmer has already made a name for herself in the pool, winning gold at the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games and a bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janerio Olympics.

Brian Walton

1985 Canada Summer Games in Saint John, NB

Team BC — Cycling

The cyclist won a silver medal in the points race at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Hayley Wickenheiser

1991 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island

Team Alberta — Hockey

Scored the gold medal winning goal for Team Alberta at the 1991 Canada Games as a 12-year-old. Wickenheiser went on to win four Olympic gold medals for Team Canada.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31