Virtue, Moir and St-Pierre headline Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame class of 2023
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame announced its 2023 class of inductees in Calgary on Thursday.
The newest class includes individual three athletes and two teams, in addition to a pair in the builders category, that have achieved great success in their sports and helped lead the way for future generations in Canadian sport.
Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, considered among the greatest ice dancing duos in the sport’s history, will join the hall, following a career which saw them win Olympic gold in the event at Vancouver 2010 and Pyeongchang 2018. After beginning their career together in 1997, the two developed a captivating and prolific partnership on the ice.
From 2008-2019, the duo took home 12 podium finishes at the Olympics and world championships while adding eight Canadian titles. Since retiring in 2019, they have continued to inspire young Canadian skaters as coaches, mentors, ambassadors and speakers.
Virtue also completed an MBA and is now an executive director with Deloitte, a consulting firm, while Moir leads the Ice Academy of Montreal’s satellite program in Ontario.
WATCH | Virtue and Moir thrived in the spotlight:
A golden start in Vancouver 2010 and a win at PyeongChang 2018 helped the ice dance pair cement themselves as some of the greatest of all time.
Joining them as athlete inductees are former UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre, wheelchair basketball athlete Danielle Peers, Indigenous softball player Phyllis Bomberry, and curling’s Team Ferbey of Randy Ferbey, David Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, and Marcel Rocque. Indigenous lacrosse advocate Oren Lyons joins as a builder alongside Hiroshi Nakamura, a high performance judo coach.
The nine inductees will receive the Order of Sport, Canada’s highest sporting honour, on Oct.19 in Gatineau, Que.
Georges St-Pierre
Since retiring, he has led the Georges St-Pierre Foundation, helping children through adversity, supporting anti-bullying initiatives and promoting youth sports.
Team Ferbey
Led by Edmonton-born skip Ferbey, the group paved the way for more aggressive shot-calling and creativity before disbanding in 2010.
Danielle Peers
Since retiring, Peers has continued to challenge the discourse as an academic, community organizer, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ performance artist.
Phyllis Bomberry
Inducted posthumously, Bomberry, a former softball player from Six Nations of the Grand River, Ont., joins the hall after overcoming racism and sexism to pursue her sports dreams, playing for Carpetland Senior A team in Toronto and winning three Canadian championships.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Hall of Fame member Phyllis Bomberry / Nous sommes attristés d’apprendre du décès du membre de notre Temple de la renommée Phyllis Bomberry <a href=”https://t.co/DeAfVLsLZ4″>https://t.co/DeAfVLsLZ4</a> <a href=”https://t.co/vRceCx0u6b”>pic.twitter.com/vRceCx0u6b</a>
—@SoftballCanada
“From the courts to the fields, from the ice to the octagon, the Class of 2023 is a testament to the relentless pursuit of greatness,” said Cheryl Bernard, President and CEO of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
“The Class of 2023 [is] a group of exceptional athletes and builders of sport who have conquered challenges, shattered records, and inspired generations.”
