Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and museum for accomplished Canadian athletes, and sports builders and officials.

Established in 1955, the organization inducted its first class of hall of famers, and opened a museum to the public that year. The museum was originally located at Exhibition Place in Toronto. In 1957, the hall of fame moved to another facility at Exhibition Place, then moved into a new building to share space with the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. The two halls of fame continued to share facilities until 1993, when the Hockey Hall of Fame moved to a different location. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame became the building's sole occupant until it was closed in 2006 to make way for BMO Field. The organization continued to induct honourees to its hall of fame, although a new facility to house its museum was not completed until 2011. The facility was opened at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, and houses the organization's offices and hall of fame museum.

As of 2022, there were 668 inductees into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, categorized either as athletes, or as builders of the sport. Inductees are nominated by the Canadian public, though are ultimately selected by the organization's selection committee. In addition to inductions into its hall of fame, the organization has also conferred awards for accomplishments in sport, and in the larger community.

History

thumb|left|Canada's Sports Hall of Fame was first housed in [[New Fort York#Officers' Quarters|Stanley Barracks in Toronto from 1955 to 1957]]

Efforts to create a national sports hall of fame were spurred by Harry Price, the chairman of the sports committee of the Canadian National Exhibition, who began to travel across Canada in 1947 to gather support for a museum and hall of fame. The hall of fame museum was formally opened on 24 August 1955, at Stanley Barracks in Exhibition Place, Toronto. The Hall of Fame building opened in 1961, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame would share the same building with the Hockey Hall of Fame until 1993, when the Hockey Hall of Fame moved into Brookfield Place in downtown Toronto. However, the federal government cancelled those plans in 1999. In the same year, the organization also introduced the Order of Sport Award, which served as a physical award for being inducted to the hall of fame.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hall of fame's museum was closed in April 2020, and was reorganized into a digital museum.

Building

thumb|The building [[cantilevers from the ground]]

The hall of fame and museum building is located on Canada Olympic Road, at Canada Olympic Park, a ski hill and multi-purpose training and competition facility in Calgary. The exterior facade with its cantilevered structure, was designed to mimic the elevated platforms where athletes receive their medals.

The interior of the building is made of three components, the museum and exhibition halls, the organization's office space, and storage space for the museum's collections. The cantilevered area also held exhibits on individual sports. The museum's twelve themed galleries located on various levels, were separated by a "series of bays". The exhibits are designed to circulate around the museum's central atrium or the "Grand Hall," which houses six national trophy exhibits.

Inductees

As of November 2019, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame had over 670 inductees, categorized either as athletes or builders of the sport. Beginning with the induction of the 2019 class of hall of famers, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame began to issue the Order of Sport award to inductees, as a physical token of their induction into the hall of fame. Athletes nominated are required to have been retired for at least four years, although builders may be nominated when they are still active in their careers. The creation of the Sport Legend class was undertaken in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Canada.

  • George Burleigh
  • William Cecil Billy Christmas
  • Alex Decoteau
  • Carol Ann Duthie
  • Alfred Cam Ecclestone
  • Larry Gains
  • Bob Goldham
  • Gerald Gratton
  • Robina Higgins Haight
  • Barbara Howard
  • Bill Isaacs
  • Joe Keeper
  • Johnny Loaring
  • Harry Xul-si-malt Manson
  • Vincent McIntyre
  • Robert McLeod
  • Aileen Meagher
  • Albert Murray
  • Charles Murray
  • Alf Philips
  • Robert Pirie
  • Robert Powell
  • Harvey Pulford
  • Robert Scotty Rankine
  • Hilda Ranscombe
  • Eileen Whalley Richards
  • Winnie Roach-Leuszler
  • Mary Rose Thacker
  • Elizabeth Whittall
  • Rhona and Rhoda Wurtele

Builders

  • Earl Bascom
  • Frank Calder
  • James Creighton
  • Norton Crow
  • Sidney Dawes
  • Jan Eisenhardt
  • Alexandrine Gibb
  • Cecil Grenier
  • Phyllis Griffiths
  • Frederick James Heather
  • Frank Read
  • Melville Marks "Bobby" Robinson
  • William Shuttleworth
  • Henry Sotvedt
  • Stanley Thompson

See also

  • Alberta Sports Hall of Fame
  • BC Sports Hall of Fame
  • Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
  • New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame
  • Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame
  • Ontario Sports Hall of Fame

References

Further reading