Sport Canada

Past & Present Canadian Olympic Icons

Mario Lemieux

No stranger to adversity, Lemieux was diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer early in his professional career. Although cancer treatment may have slowed his progress, it never stopped him. Soon after Mario Lemieux not only led the Pittsburgh Penguins to 2 NHL Stanley Cups, but he also led Team Canada to a gold medal victory in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. As a result, Lemieux was awarded a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Before retiring for the second time at the age of 40, Mario had one final challenge to overcome. His long time NHL team was facing bankruptcy and needed a buyer to survive. In 1999, Mario Lemieux came to the rescue and purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins making him the chairman of the board and principal owner while still playing on the ice.

Cindy Klassen

Klassen kicked off her competitive career on the women’s Field Lacrosse Team at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. After experimenting with lacrosse, hockey, and in-line skating, Klassen eventually found her true calling in speed skating where she took home a Canadian record breaking 5 Olympic medals from the 2006 Winter Games.

More recently, Cindy has decided to sit out the 2009 World Cup season in preparation for the 2010 Whistler Olympics. So far, Cindy has won 8 Olympic medals and hopes to add to her collection.

Beckie Scott

By the early age of 5, Beckie Scott had already strapped on her skis and started developing skills that would eventually lead her to the 1998 & 2002 Winter Olympic Games. After finishing 3rd in the 5km cross-country skiing pursuit, Beckie Scott was bumped up to first place and awarded gold after her opponents tested positive for illegal performance enhancing drugs. As a result, Beckie then made Canada proud as she became the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.

Not surprisingly, Beckie is now a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s athletes committee to help eliminate performance enhancing drugs from competitive sports. Additionally, Beckie Scott also supports charitable events for the UNICEF efforts in Afghanistan.

Elvis Stojko

Named after The King of Rock and Roll, Stojko grew up figure skating to Elvis Presley’s music. Years later, Stojko earned a page in the record books as he became the first person in history to successfully land a quadruple double jump at the 1991 World Championships. Three years later, Stojko brought back his first silver medal followed by another as he competed all the way through 2002.

After his popular skating career, Stojko made several guest appearances on television. He guest starred as himself in an episode of Kill Gil: Vols. 1 & 2, Chilly Beach, and The Simpsons.

Donovan Bailey

After finishing his Business Degree and securing a fulfilling job, Donovan was finally satisfied. That all changed the day he was watching TV and witnessed the people he used to beat in high school competing on the National Team. From this point on, Donovan knew he had to return to the track. Only 6 years later, Donovan demolished the 100m World & Olympic record winning himself his first gold medal.

Soon after setting the world record for the 100m sprint, he was challenged by the Olympic winner of the 200m sprint, Michael Johnson, in a highly publicized race that would decide who was “the world’s fastest man.”

Toronto’s SkyDome laid host for the sold out crowd of 60,000 plus hundreds of thousands of others tuning in on their television sets eagerly anticipating this Canada vs. US showdown! And a showdown it was as both racers blasted out of the gates and were neck and neck for the majority of the track. However, as Bailey creeped past, Johnson pulled his quadriceps allowing Donovan Bailey to zoom past the finish line as the world’s fastest man.

About the Author

Devon O’ Malley is a staff writer for Allura Direct, a vacation rentals website offering an authoritarian search tool with instant booking features. With 560+ Whistler accommodation options available, guests can stay virtually anywhere, even slopeside at the Aspens Whistler.

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