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Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (CSHoF) is Canada's only national museum of sport. It is dedicated to preserving and increasing Canadians' awareness of their sporting heritage. Founded in 1955 through the efforts of Harry I. Price, the hall was originally located on the CNE grounds in Toronto but closed in 1993. It opened at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary in 2011, and transformed into a digital museum in 2020. More than 750 athletes across nearly 80 sports have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in one of three categories: Athletes, Builders, and Trailblazers.
Explore this interactive map to discover the places of birth of over 750 Hall of Famers inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, which connect their achievements to the communities where their journeys began.
Background History
The idea to create a national museum dedicated to Canada’s sporting history was the passion project of Harry I. Price, a former assistant athletics commissioner of Ontario and chairman of the Sports Committee for the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). Price began advocating and campaigning for a national sports hall of fame in 1947. His efforts came to fruition on 24 August 1955, when Canada's Sports Hall of Fame opened at the old Stanley Barracks on the CNE grounds.
The inaugural class of 53 inductees included multisport athlete Lionel Conacher; swimmer and multiple world record-holder George Hodgson; famed long-distance runner Tom Longboat; basketball inventor James Naismith; boxing stars George Dixon, Horace Gwynne and Sam Langford; and track star Bobbie Rosenfeld and the other members of the so-called “Matchless Six.”
In 1957, CSHoF teamed up with the newly formed Hockey Hall of Fame and relocated to the administration building on the CNE grounds. After the Hockey Hall of Fame vacated the space in 1993 in favour of its current location downtown, CSHoF was shuttered. Its entire collection was put into storage in the Stanley Barracks. In 2008, Calgary was selected from nine cities that made a bid to host a new hall.
Facilities and Exhibits
In 2011, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame reopened in a new, 40,000 square-foot building on the west side of Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. It opened to the public on Canada Day. The building received a special certification for its environmental design features.
The Hall of Fame includes 12 galleries, a theatre and interactive exhibits. The Hall maintains a substantial archive, including 60,000 historical photographs and 100,000 artefacts in its Education and Resource Centre.
In 2020, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame transitioned from a physical museum to digital one with a focus of curating experiences, content and stories that are reaching far beyond the organization’s walls, as Canada’s only national museum of sport.
Education
The Hall has extensive online education programs and resources reaching youth across the country. The Beyond the Win Education Programs website provides curriculum-based programs for youth, including prerecorded lesson modules, interviews with Hall of Famers, and education guides on sport artefacts from their archive. The Indigenous Sport Heroes Education Experience website highlights the experiences and achievements of Indigenous athletes such as Phyllis Bomberry and Gaylord Powless.
Order of Sport Awards
The annual Order of Sport Awards, marking the induction of a new class into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, draws a great deal of public and media attention. Chosen by a selection committee of 10 to 16 people, members are elected to three categories: Athletes, Builders, or Trailblazers. Normally, athletes are elected after a four-year waiting period following their retirement from major championship competition. The Hall welcomes all Canadians to nominate individuals in any of the categories. (See External Links below for information on the Hall’s selection process and policies.)
More than 750 Canadians across nearly 80 sports have been inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Some of the more colourful inductees include Canada's greatest thoroughbred, Northern Dancer, legendary jockey Johnny Longden, the racing yacht Bluenose, hockey and lacrosse star Newsy Lalonde, skeet shooter and 30-time world record-holder Barney Hartman, the world champion hydroplane Miss Supertest III and Jackie Barrett, the only Special Olympics athlete inducted to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Administration
A registered charity, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame is administered by a 13-person staff that is responsible to a 15-person board of governors. The current president and CEO, as of January 2025, is Cheryl Bernard.
