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Colored Hockey League

The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHL) was an all-Black men’s hockey league. It was organized by Black Baptists and Black intellectuals and was founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1895. It was defunct during and after the First World War, reformed in 1921 and then fell apart during the Depression in the 1930s. Play was known to be fast, physical and innovative. The league was designed to attract young Black men to Sunday worship with the promise of a hockey game between rival churches after the services. Later, with the influence of the Black Nationalism Movement — and with rising interest in the sport of hockey — the league came to be seen as a potential driving force for the equality of Black Canadians. Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp in honour of the league in January 2020.

Conn Smythe

Article

Conn Smythe

Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe, "Conn," sports entrepreneur (b at Toronto 1 Feb 1895; d there 18 Nov 1980). He was awarded the Military Cross in WWI and was severely injured by shrapnel in WWII. His reputation for

Connor McDavid

Article

Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid, hockey player (born 13 January 1997 in Richmond Hill, ON). A two-time National Hockey League All-Star, McDavid plays for the Edmonton Oilers. One of the best skaters in the game, McDavid is also an elite playmaker. Since breaking into the NHL in 2015, McDavid has established himself as one of the most dynamic offensive stars in the league. He has won the Art Ross Trophy (2017, 2018), Ted Lindsay Award (2017, 2018) and Hart Memorial Trophy (2017). McDavid has also won gold medals with Team Canada at the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship (2013), IIHF World Junior Championship (2015) and IIHF World Championship (2016).

In Conversation with Alexandre Bilodeau

Interview

In Conversation with Alexandre Bilodeau

On 6 June 2014, author Jeremy Freeborn interviewed two-time Olympic moguls champion Alexandre Bilodeau for The Canadian Encyclopedia.

In Conversation with Anne Heggtveit

Interview

In Conversation with Anne Heggtveit

On 25 June 2014, author Jeremy Freeborn interviewed Anne Heggtveit of Ottawa, ON, at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary for The Canadian Encyclopedia.

In Conversation with Donovan Bailey

Interview

In Conversation with Donovan Bailey

On 25 June 2014, author Jeremy Freeborn interviewed Donovan Bailey at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary for The Canadian Encyclopedia.

In Conversation with Marlene Stewart Streit

Interview

In Conversation with Marlene Stewart Streit

On 25 June 2014, author Jeremy Freeborn interviewed Marlene Stewart Streit at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary.

In Conversation with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Interview

In Conversation with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

On 6 June 2014, author Jeremy Freeborn interviewed three-time Olympic medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir for The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Cowboys and Cowgirls in Canada

Article

Cowboys and Cowgirls in Canada

Cowboys and cowgirls are people employed to tend cattle or horses. The first cowboys to work on the Canadian prairies arrived in the 1870s. The traditional cowboy lifestyle has since given way to a more contained, corporate model of ranching. But the romanticized image of the cowboy on the “open range” lives on as a symbol of the prairies. Today, the terms cowboy and cowgirl can refer to ranch workers or rodeo competitors. Click here for definitions of key terms used in this article.

Craig Forrest

Article

Craig Forrest

Craig Lorne Forrest, soccer player (born 20 September 1967 in Coquitlam, BC). Craig Forrest is arguably the best goalkeeper to play for the Canadian men’s soccer team. He was named Canadian Player of the Year in 1994 and 2000, as well as the Most Valuable Player at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he carried Canada to their first and only CONCACAF championship. Forrest later became a well-known soccer analyst for Sportsnet. He has been inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia and the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame. He was also named to the All-Time Canada XI men’s team in 2012.

Crazy Canucks

Article

Crazy Canucks

In 1975, alpine skier Ken Read became the first North American to win a World Cup downhill race. For a period of about ten years, Read and three other young Canadians — Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, and Steve Podborski — challenged the European ski establishment and changed the course of ski racing history in Canada.

Curtis Hibbert

Article

Curtis Hibbert

Curtis Hibbert, gymnast (b at Mississauga, Ont 1966). Hibbert is the finest gymnast Canada has ever produced. Proficient in all apparatus, he excels in the strength events. In 1987 Hibbert won the first medal by a Canadian at the World Championships with a 2nd place finish in the high bar.

Cyle Larin

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Cyle Larin

Cyle Christopher Larin, soccer player (born 17 April 1995 in Brampton, ON). Cyle Larin is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Canadian men’s soccer team. He was the first Canadian player to be selected first overall in the MLS SuperDraft. In 2016, he was named MLS Rookie of the Year after breaking the record for most goals scored by a rookie. After scoring 43 goals in 87 games in three seasons with Orlando City SC, he was transferred to Beşiktaş JK of the Süper Lig in 2018. Larin helped Beşiktaş JK win the Süper Lig, Turkish Cup and the Turkish Super Cup in 2020–21. He also played for Canada at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Cindy Nicholas

Article

Cindy Nicholas

Cynthia Maria “Cindy” Nicholas, marathon swimmer, lawyer, politician (born 20 August 1957 in Toronto, ON; died 19 May 2016 in Scarborough, ON). Cindy Nicholas was one of Canada’s most dominant marathon swimmers. In 1977, at the age of 20, she became both the first woman and youngest swimmer to complete a return crossing of the English Channel, setting a new world record of 19 hours and 55 minutes. She completed 19 crossings of the Channel between 1974 and 1982, including a record five return-trips, and earned the nickname “Queen of the Channel.” Nicholas was named the women’s world marathon swimming champion in 1976 and won the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada’s female athlete of the year in 1977. She also practiced law and served as a Member of Provincial Parliament with the Ontario Liberal Party from 1987 to 1990. She is a Member of the Order of Canada, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Damian Warner

Article

Damian Warner

Damian David George Warner, men’s decathlete (born 4 November 1989 in London, Ontario). Damian Warner is regarded as Canada’s all-time best decathlete. At the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo, he won the gold medal and set an Olympic record in decathlon with 9,018 total points. He is one of only four decathletes to reach 9,000 points in international competition. Warner also holds the men’s decathlon world records in the 100 m (10.12 seconds), long jump (8.28 m), and 110 m hurdles (13.36 seconds). He has won many medals in international competition, including a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games and a record six titles at the prestigious Hypo Meeting in Götzis, Austria. In 2021, he was awarded the Lionel Conacher Award and the Lou Marsh Trophy and was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.

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Colored Hockey League

Conn Smythe

Connor McDavid

In Conversation with Alexandre Bilodeau

In Conversation with Anne Heggtveit

In Conversation with Donovan Bailey

In Conversation with Marlene Stewart Streit

In Conversation with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Cowboys and Cowgirls in Canada

Craig Forrest

Crazy Canucks

Curtis Hibbert

Cyle Larin

Cindy Nicholas

Damian Warner

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Browse "Sports & Recreation"

Colored Hockey League

Conn Smythe

Connor McDavid

In Conversation with Alexandre Bilodeau

In Conversation with Anne Heggtveit

In Conversation with Donovan Bailey

In Conversation with Marlene Stewart Streit

In Conversation with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Cowboys and Cowgirls in Canada

Craig Forrest

Crazy Canucks

Curtis Hibbert

Cyle Larin

Cindy Nicholas

Damian Warner

Help The Canadian Encyclopedia