GATINEAU, Que. 鈥� Scott Moir enjoys hearing about people who tuned in emotionally to watch him skate with partner Tessa Virtue, especially those who otherwise didn't care about ice dance.
鈥淎s a boy who grew up wanting to be (Canadian Hockey Hall of Famer) Joe Sakic, it鈥檚 especially meaningful when, especially hockey players, are watching ice dance with a tear in their eye,鈥� Moir said.
The figure skating super tandem added another accomplishment to their impressive resum茅 Thursday, as they headlined the 2023 inductees into Canada鈥檚 Sports Hall of Fame alongside celebrated mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre. 聽
Eleven individuals were awarded the Order of Sport, the country鈥檚 highest sporting honour. The ceremony took place in the great hall of Gatineau鈥檚 Museum of History, just across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill. 聽
Virtue, of London, Ont., and Moir, of Ilderton, Ont., won a record-setting five Olympic medals, three World Championships, and eight Canadian National Championships. Of all their accomplishments, winning gold on home ice at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games is perhaps the most iconic. 聽
But Moir said it wasn鈥檛 about the colour of medals or the number of trophies. Wearing the Maple Leaf was an accomplishment enough. 聽
鈥淥ne of the greatest achievements early in our career was when we took the ice and it was announced we were 鈥榬epresenting Canada.鈥� We always tried to hold ourselves up to the Canadian standard in sport and hopefully we were able to that,鈥� Moir said. 聽
鈥淲hat we were doing didn鈥檛 feel extraordinary when we were two kids at seven and nine and we were up at 6 a.m. in a hockey arena,鈥� Virtue added. 鈥淏ut today makes those ordinary moments feel rather special.聽
鈥淭o be part of this esteemed group is quite surreal. We鈥檙e grateful for what it represents. And we鈥檙e excited about the path it paves for generations to come.鈥澛�
Speakers included Cheryl Bernard, an Olympic medallist in curling and the president and chief executive officer of Canada鈥檚 Sports Hall of Fame since 2018, and Adam van Koeverden, an Olympic medallist kayaker and Member of Parliament. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recorded a video message for this year鈥檚 inductees. 聽
鈥淵ou here because you are legends,鈥� Trudeau said. 聽
St-Pierre, of Saint-Isidore, Que., retired from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2019 but his close-cropped haircut and fighting physique remained unmistakable on stage. 聽
He says he was inspired to pursue a career in mixed martial arts after renting a video of the first UFC tournament and seeing legendary Brazilian fighter Royce Gracie in action. He claimed his first welterweight championship in 2006 and finished with an unprecedented career record of 26-2. 聽
Nicknamed 鈥淩ush,鈥� St-Pierre is now an actor and advocate for mental health awareness and supportive of anti-bullying initiatives. 聽
鈥淎t the beginning it sounded crazy to most of my friends, but I had a lot of support,鈥� St-Pierre said. 鈥淵es, I fight alone in the Octagon. But I鈥檓 not alone (outside) the Octagon and in my preparation.鈥� 聽
Members of one of the most successful teams in the history of Canadian curling, 鈥淭he Ferbey Four,鈥� were inducted together. Led by skip Randy Ferbey, the group included third Dave Nedohin, second Scott Pfeifer and lead Marcel Rocque. The team quickly became a powerhouse and won three world men鈥檚 curling championships in the early 2000s, plus four Canadian titles.聽
Ferbey鈥檚 rink, nominated for the Order of Sport by fellow curler Jennifer Jones, used innovative strategies that have left a lasting mark on competitive curling. The team used a number-zone system to communicate weight for draw shots and had a shared approach to decision-making, rather than just deferring to the skip鈥檚 leadership. 聽
鈥淲hat an honour this is for our team to receive this prestigious award today. It鈥檚 something we never ever thought we would achieve. We never thought we were good enough. But here we are today,鈥� Ferbey said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 blown us away.鈥� 聽
Rounding out the Class of 2023 was Danielle Peers, a Paralympic bronze medallist in wheelchair basketball. Judo coach Hiroshi Nakamura and decorated lacrosse player Oren Lyons were inducted as builders. 聽
Nakamura, who was born in Tokyo in 1942 and moved to Canada in 1968, led dozens of Canadian judokas to international acclaim. With a hearty laugh, he said he鈥檚 still trying to achieve one big goal. 聽
鈥淢y objective in Canada was to make judo as popular as hockey,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the bar was very high. I鈥檓 still working on it.鈥� 聽
The 93-year-old Lyons, who spent most of his life advocating for the rights of Indigenous people in sport, has a far-reaching legacy. Lacrosse is set to be part of the 2028 Olympics, something his father fought for back in 1932. 聽聽
Lyons spoke of the game as being more than just a ball and a stick. 聽
鈥淚t is part of our creation story,鈥� he said. 聽
Peers, who identifies as non-binary, was not able to attend the ceremony but submitted a video focused on diversity and inclusion in sport. They are a long-celebrated wheelchair basketball athlete and broke down barriers by competing with male athletes in the NCAA in 2005. They were MVP of the European Men鈥檚 Club Championship in 2006.聽
Phyliss Bomberry was inducted posthumously. Nicknamed 鈥榊ogi,鈥� she was a trailblazing softball star through the 1960s. Bomberry died in 2019 and her brother, Ivan, accepted the award on her behalf. 聽
The winners of the 2023 Tom Longboat Awards, which recognize Indigenous athletes for their contributions to sport in Canada, were wrestler Connor Church of Winnipeg 鈥� who won the award for the second year in a row 鈥� and dragon boater Trina Ross of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba. 聽
Ross, through tears, thanked Dragon Boat Canada for giving her an 鈥渙pportunity of a lifetime.鈥� Church cited Longboat鈥檚 legacy of 鈥減erseverance and resilience鈥� as something that serves as daily inspiration for him as he chases his dream of representing Canada at the Olympics. 聽
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2023.
Adam Stanley, The Canadian Press
