Greatest Canadian Athletes of All Time

For Canada day I have decided to profile some of the top Canadian athletes of all-time. Canada is home to many great athletes who have influenced their respective sports. Each of these players have made a huge impact on sports in Canada. Every Canadian who has played professional sports have inspired someone to play that sport and as a Canadian I am very proud to be from the same country as these great athletes because of the ways they have changed sports in Canada. 

Wayne Gretzky 

The Great One, Wayne Gretzky was probably the greatest hockey player of all-time and his impact on sports in Canada was immeasurable. Gretzky played 20 seasons with over 1450 games played with 2857 points in the NHL. And while there is no question that Gretzky is a great hockey player, has he done much for Canadian sports. While Gretzky was only able to play in one Olympic tournament before the end of his career, he was he was able to lead Team Canada as a manager in 2002 to a gold medal, Canada’s first gold medal in ice hockey since 1951. Hockey was always a big sport in Canada, but Wayne Gretzky popularized the sport and made every kid want to play and be just like him. Wayne Gretzky did to hockey what Michael Jordan did to basketball – he made his sport and his country popular. 

Steve Nash 

Steve Nash is undoubtedly the greatest Canadian basketball player of all-time. The two-time NBA most valuable player has been a huge part of the explosion of basketball in Canada. Nash was the face of Canada in the NBA before Vince Carter and the rise of the Toronto Raptors as NBA champions took the game mainstream in our country. Nash led Canada to the quarter finals of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney before suffering a very emotional 5-point loss to France. After his retirement Nash has still done many things for the country and the sport, and has been named the general manager of Canada basketball. With a great coach and many young stars, Nash will look to lead team Canada to their first Olympic medal in basketball since 1936. 

Christine Sinclair 

Christine Sinclair, a phenomenal goal scorer and captain, of the Canadian women’s soccer team, she has inspired not just Canadians but fans around the world. In 296 international games Christine Sinclair has scored 186 goals all while wearing a team Canada jersey. Sinclair has led the Canadian team to two bronze Olympic medals, and just short of the finals in 2012 after scoring a hat-trick in the semifinal game. In 2012 Sinclair was awarded the Lou Marsh trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year. She has been a cornerstone of Canadian sports for a very long time. 

Donovan Bailey 

Donovan Bailey, once the fastest man in the world won the Gold Medal in the 1996 Olympics in the 100-meter dash. He was the first Canadian to legally break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m.

After his Olympic run Bailey started the Donovan Bailey Foundation, the goal of his foundation was to inspire and assist young Canadian amateur athletes. Bailey in total won 2 gold medals and one silver in two Olympic appearances, Although Bailey only participated in two Olympic games, he cared about sports in Canada. He was forced to retire after a hindering injury  and he didn’t give up on his choice to continue the development of Canadian sports. 

Clara Hughes 

Clara Hughes possibly a lesser known Canadian Olympian  has earned 6 medals – 1 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze across 2 sports. Hughes participated in both the winter Olympics for speed skating and the summer Olympics for cycling, and is the only Olympic athlete to win multiple medals at both Olympic games. Counting all her appearances other than the Olympic games, Hughes has 6 gold medals, 9 silver medals and 7 bronze medals. Without question an unbelievable athlete! Hughes has also donated thousands of dollars to programs trying to involve kids in activity, and is involved with Right To Play, an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sports to encourage the development of youth in disadvantaged communities.

 Marie-Philip Poulin 

The captain of the Canadian women’s Hockey team Marie-Philip Poulin has led the team to 3 Olympic medals – two gold and a silver. In the world championships has led the Canadian team to 9 total medals – 7 silver, 1 gold and 1 bronze. She played a hard fought game in PyeongChang in 2018 but the team came up just short losing 3-2 in the finals to take home the silver. She is a leader for Canadian youth to come and inspires women to play sports and compete hard as top-class athletes. Poulin will most likely look to lead Canada to a gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Bejing.  

Cindy Klassen 

In 2006 Klassen became Canada’s most decorated athlete winning 5 medals in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Klassen is the only Canadian athlete to win 5 medals in one Olympic game taking home a gold, 2 silver medals and 3 bronze medals at the Olympics. In total Klassen has 24 total medals as a professional speed skater at international events. Klassen was honoured with the Lou Marsh Trophy as the Canadian athlete of the year and she has represented Canada at the highest level, winning the most medals of any Canadian athlete until Clara Hughes. 

Sidney Crosby 

Sidney Crosby, a Nova Scotia born NHL star has tallied over 1260 points in his 15-year career to go along with 8 all-star appearances and 3 Stanley Cups, Crosby has also been honoured with a number of elite season awards including the Conn Smythe, the Art Ross and the Hart Memorial Trophy. Crosby has participated in two Olympic games leading Canada to the gold medal in both and he has also won a gold and silver medal in the world junior championship. In total Crosby has 2 gold medals and a Silver medal all playing for Team Canada. Crosby famously scored the golden goal in the 2010 ice hockey Olympic finals, clinching the medal for his country. Crosby has never been shy to represent his country on the world stage. 

Ferguson Jenkins 

Fergie Jenkins an all-time great pitcher and a member of both the Canadian and Official Baseball Hall of Fame. The greatest Canadian baseball player ever, a dominate pitcher who amassed 3192 career strikeouts with a 3.34 ERA. Jenkins was the first Canadian ever enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Cy Young award winner in 1971 was a 3-time all-star and 2 time wins leader. Ferguson Jenkins was the first great Canadian MLB player and put Canada on the map as a baseball country. He has multiple records in the MLB and is perhaps the greatest baseball player to come from Canada. 

Nate Burleson 

Canada is not known for producing NFL stars, but Nate Burleson fits the name of star in the National Football League. In 10 seasons Burleson racked up 5630 receiving yards with a season high of 1006. He also scored 39 touchdowns. The wide receiver is proud of his Canadian heritage and even has the Candian flag tattooed on his leg. Burleson boasted that if there was ever a world cup he would suit up and play for Canada. His father was a dominate defensive player for the Calgary Stampeders and that started Nate’s love for football. He made a big difference for football in Canada being a great player from our country.

If you are interested in learning more about one of the greatest Canadian athletes ever, check out this book written by Ferguson Jenkins.