Donald K. Smythe

Few Canadian players can match Don’s fierce determination, sportsmanship, and professionalism in the sport of badminton. To his credit, Don won 27 titles between 1950 and 1956 in international competition.

Beginning in 1950, Don won five Ontario Singles Championships and numerous Ontario and National Doubles Championships. But what makes him stand alone is reaching the semis and finals of the World Championships held in England in 1953 and 1954. No other male Canadian has achieved such international standing to date.

Don represented Canada as a playing member of the Thomas Cup Team in 1953, 1955, and 1958. As Captain in 1971, he inspired the team into the semifinal round of the world championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Don was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974. He returned to competition in 1985 and reached the finals of the Canadian Masters Badminton Games held at the Etobicoke Olympium.

Eurico Rosa da Silva

Eurico Da Silva achieved victory in the world All Star Challenge held in Sapporo, Japan. His notable accomplishments include winning 500-plus races over a five-year span competing in Brazil and close to 300 victories in four and a half years in Macau. He also captured the Brazil Derby, a two-mile Grade 1 turf race.

Da Silva began his riding tenure in Canada three weeks after the 2004 Thoroughbred season started. It’s worth noting that his lifetime totals don’t include Brazil and Macau numbers. In 2004, Da Silva made his first year at Woodbine a memorable one, recording 47 victories, two added-money wins, and $2,116,932 in purse earnings.

Among his achievements, Mona Rose (fourth in balloting for Canada’s Champion Turf Female) added to his success, winning the Dance Smartly and Belle Geste Stakes. His first Toronto oval score came aboard Arthur Silvera’s Point Hidden on May 20. Notably, 30 of his wins came in sprints, and he posted 155 top-three finishes in all.

In 2005, he captured the Ontario Fashion Stakes with Colonial Surprise, showcasing his consistent performance. Da Silva moved up two spots in the rankings (13th to 11th) from 2004, with an average win odds of 8.34, which was second-best among top 20 riders.

The following year, in 2006, he upped his win total by 19 from the previous year (61-42) and increased his purse earnings total by nearly $400,000. Da Silva broke like a bullet and went wire-to-wire with Shot Gun Ela in the Ontario Fashion Stakes, marking the second straight year he won the event. He ranked 11th for the second consecutive campaign.

In 2007, Da Silva won 83 races (22 more than in 2006), ranking sixth overall. He also netted six Woodbine stakes wins, teaming with Torquay to take the Valedictory Stakes on December 9, the final added-money feature of the season. Notably, he set Woodbine-best marks across the board in purse earnings ($3,649,504), in the money finishes (228), and starts (651).

Da Silva’s achievements continued to rise, winning seven dashes over the final 10 days of racing. In 2008, he topped the 100-win mark at Woodbine for the first time, securing 105 victories and winning 13 stakes races, marking the second-best mark in the category.

Peter Zezel

Born in Toronto in 1965, Peter Zezel was destined to excel at sports – but it wasn’t clear for a while whether that would be soccer or hockey!

Originally drafted by the Toronto Blizzard for his outstanding soccer skills, Peter eventually made the decision that would carve out his life’s path – he chose hockey.

He began his hockey career with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984/85. Offensively gifted, he managed to set a Philadelphia rookie record for assists in his first year, and embraced the role of checking centre, relentless penalty killer and face-off specialist.

Four years after beginning his NHL career in Phylly, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he played some of the best hockey of his life. Eventually, however, Zezel was traded back to his hometown, becoming one of the most popular Maple Leafs of the early 1990s.

A key contributor in Toronto’s playoff runs in 1993 and 1994, the team came within one game of the Stanley Cup. And while that would always be a disappointment, Peter’s gregarious, enthusiastic nature carried him through. After playing for several other teams in the league, Peter’s NHL career came to an abrupt end in 1998/99 when he returned to his hometown to be with his terminally ill niece.

He opened the Peter Zezel Hockey and Sports Camps in Etobicoke, which helped teach and improve the hockey and soccer skills of young players. Peter also made the time to coach AAA hockey for the Don Mills Flyers and he was a frequent guest on sports talk shows.

In the spring of 2009, at the age of 44, Peter lost his decade-long battle with Haemolytic anemia, but the effects of the enormous contributions he made to his community will continue to live on.

Dave Dryden

Dave Dryden was born in Hamilton. He was raised in Etobicoke, where he became actively involved in hockey and baseball. He played minor baseball in the early years of the Kingsway Baseball League, and assisted in coaching atom baseball and hockey with his father.

He played minor hockey with the KI/Y, T.H.L and King Clancy leagues before beginning his junior hockey career with St Mike’s and the Toronto Marlboroughs. He later played senior hockey with the Galt Hornets.

During his NHL career, Dave goal-tended for the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and the Edmonton Oilers. He played for the Chicago Cougars and the Edmonton Oilers while in the W.H.A. It was in his last season in the W.H.A that he won the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

Dave was one of three goaltenders who transformed modern goaltending and pioneered the redesign of goaltending equipment which has generated the contemporary goaltending style.

Doug McNichol

Doug McNichol, who had a long and stellar career as a football player, began participating in organized sports in his home town of Merritton, near St. Catharines. He played more basketball than football – he was on the Senior Intercollegiate basketball championship team in 1949-1950 – because his school’s football team played only one game a year, against Ridley.

His basketball coach, Angelo Pastore, recognizing his outstanding ability, looked for ways to get him on a college team. As a result Johnny Metras, Western’s renowned coach, offered him a place there, playing basketball. Doug asked if he could try out for football as well – and the rest, as they say, is history.

From 1950 to 1952 he was a lineman for the Western Mustangs, a member of 1950 and 1952 Yates Cup championship team. In 1952, he won the George McCullough Trophy as the team’s MVP. He was also an outstanding basketball player – team captain in 1951 and 1952, on the Ontario-Quebec Athletic Association Basketball Championship team in 1951, and on the All-Star team all three seasons.

In 1953 he was first-round draft choice of the Montreal Alouettes. That season, he was named the Eastern Rookie-of-the-Year, and in 1954 was offered a contract with the New York Giants. That set off a bidding war for his services as a player, won, in the end, by the Alouettes. He stayed with the team for eight seasons, and was named to the Eastern All-Star team six times. In 1958 and 1959, he was selected for the All-Canadian Team.

In 1961, he was traded to the Toronto Argonauts, doubling as a defensive end and tackle for three seasons. After retirement, he coached the East York Argonauts in 1966 and the Bramalea Satellites in 1967, helping each team win the Canadian Senior Championship.

Doug McNichol married his high school sweetheart, Betty McFarlane. They had three children, Scott, Cameron, and Clara. Betty passed away in 1996, and son Scott passed away 1998. Doug still lives in Etobicoke and has 2 grandchildren.

Claude Lemieux

Claude Lemieux has heard it all. Lemieux was equally loved and reviled during his 18-year NHL career, but no one can argue with four Stanley Cups, a Canada Cup gold medal, and a track record of big game success that puts the pesky right winger from Buckingham, Quebec, in the upper echelon of playoff performers.

The scrappy forward did more than needle opponents into taking costly penalties. Maddening as he was on the ice, his penchant for postseason heroics infuriated his adversaries even more.

Three times, Lemieux scored more goals in the playoffs than he did in the regular season, most notably during a remarkable run that saw him net 13 goals to help the New Jersey Devils win the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup in 1995, a performance that earned Lemieux the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His 80 career playoffs goals in 234 games are ninth most in NHL history. An astonishing 19 of those goals were game winners, a feat bettered only by Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull.

“I love playoffs. You know what it’s like when teams play back-to-back games in the regular season—there’s usually a lot of intensity, and bad feelings grow. In the playoffs it is even more intense,” said Lemieux. “The physical side of the game really became more important and I think that is where I have been able to give my team an edge.” Reaching the playoffs in 18 different seasons is a surefire way to gain big-game experience, but Lemieux has been a clutch performer since his years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he was 1985 playoff MVP. In the bigs, Lemieux is one of just five players in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams. He completed the equally rare feat of winning the Cup with different teams in back to back seasons.

Lemieux and his brother Jocelyn, who also had a solid NHL career, came by their abilities naturally. “There weren’t a lot of hockey players in my family background, and we never had the financial capability for me to take any special power-skating clinics the kids get today. It was just something I picked up and went with and loved,” he told Maclean’s.

The Lemieux legend was born in Montreal. The Canadiens selected him in the second round of the 1983 NHL entry draft, and he made his debut that same year before being sent down to the minors for more seasoning. Lemieux thrived with the Verdun Junior Canadiens and Sherbrooke of the AHL before making his return to Montreal late in the 1985–86 season. He led the club with ten playoff goals, including a Game 7 overtime winner against Hartford. Lemieux and fellow rookie Patrick Roy powered the surprising Canadiens to a Stanley Cup victory.

Over the next four seasons, Lemieux garnered a reputation as an abrasive upstart with a deft scoring touch. A trade sent Lemieux to New Jersey in 1990, where he reached new offensive heights with a 40-goal season. Lemieux’s 18 points in 20 playoff games took the Devils to within one game of the Stanley Cup finals in 1994, before his stellar postseason production propelled the team to its first championship in the lockout-shortened 1995 season.

By now well-known for his on-ice intangibles and knack for playoff fireworks, Lemieux found himself a member of the Colorado Avalanche after a three-team deal just before the 1995–96 season. The altitude didn’t affect his scoring prowess, as the winger followed up a productive regular season on a line with Peter Forsberg and Valeri Kamensky with four game-winning playoff goals that helped the former Quebec Nordiques take home the championship during the team’s first year in Colorado.

Lemieux won another Cup with New Jersey and made stops in Phoenix and Dallas before hanging up his skates for good in 2003—or so he thought. Five years later, after finding his sea legs in China, the 43-year-old returned to the NHL for a short comeback with the San Jose Sharks. Lemieux retired with 379 goals and 406 assists for 785 points in 1,197 regular season games. He added 80 playoff goals and 78 assists.

He was no slouch on the world stage, either. Lemieux followed up a 1985 world junior gold medal in Helsinki with another gold at the 1987 Canada Cup as part of the famous squad that included Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. To round out his international career, Lemieux won a silver medal at the 1996 world championships, racking up 19 penalty minutes in eight games.

Off the ice, Lemieux became president of the now-defunct ECHL Phoenix Roadrunners in 2005. He took on wannabe athletes during a guest spot on Pros Vs Joes, and is a recurring guest on TSN’s Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. In January 2011, Lemieux was named president of the North American Chapter of 4Sports and Entertainment, headquartered in Etobicoke. Two of Lemieux’s four children attended John G. Althouse Middle School in central Etobicoke, and Lemieux coached his son Brendan on the Toronto Red Wings major bantam team. In January 2012, Lemieux joined other Canadiens alumni in a charity game at the Powerade Centre in Brampton to benefit pediatric services at Brampton Civic and Etobicoke General hospitals.

Television audiences saw a different side of the pugnacious NHL star when Lemieux joined the cast of the CBC reality show Battle of the Blades in 2009. It was a case of ‘beauty and the brawler’ when a surprisingly dainty Lemieux donned figure skates and twirled partner Shae-Lynn Bourne to a second place finish. “I thought it would be a fun experience, a journey, but I definitely did think this could be an opportunity to show the Canadian people, really, who I am,” Lemieux told Maclean’s about his decision to follow fellow tough guy Tie Domi onto the show. “In hockey, you put on this suit of armour, you go out on the ice in your equipment and you perform as well as you can with the gifts you’ve got. But most of the tough guys are great people off the ice, real soft-spoken and sensitive guys. It’s the complete opposite of what one would expect.”

The result, according to a Maclean’s review, was a “creative, downright sensual” performance that impressed audiences and fellow competitors, but didn’t surprise Lemieux himself. “When you’re a dedicated, focused, zoned-in type of person, you’re just going to do whatever it takes—within boundaries. In hockey, we pushed those boundaries further because we were physically confronting our opponents. Here, you’re really competing against yourself,” he said. Being a figure skating fan with an ear for music helped Lemieux master the on-ice routines. Skating along to his own voice singing a recorded version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah was yet another surprise for his fans.

Though many in the game did not approve of his no-holds-barred style—such detractors usually being found on the opposing bench—Claude Lemieux antagonized his opponents on his way to carving out a career marked by overtime winners, playoff stardom, and an undeniable track record of success.

Colin Patterson

Colin Patterson, although most people know him as a truly remarkable hockey player, was equally skilled at lacrosse. He represented Canada in the world championships in Baltimore, winning a bronze medal. Lacrosse made him, he says, “a better hockey player”, since the game requires similar skills, hand/eye coordination and conditioning. But when the lacrosse season ended, he turned to hockey.

Colin was born in Rexdale, and played his minor hockey with the MTHL. He left organized hockey to play for his high school, Thistletown Collegiate Institute (T.C.I.) – the year of the teachers’ strike. Sports programs were suspended. While sitting at home with nothing to do, he was visited by the coach and the manager of the Etobicoke Canucks Midget A team, who talked him into playing with them. The best decision he made, he claims. The Etobicoke Hockey Association pulled him back into the game.

During his second year with the Royal York Royals Provincial Jr. A team, he was scouted by Clarkson University. In spite of offers from many other American universities, he chose Clarkson, a small and appealing school with interesting programs and excellent coaching. There he sharpened his skills and was welcomed by the town with open arms.

At Clarkson he was spotted by scouts from the Calgary Flames, who had come over to recruit a teammate. The Flames wanted him to sign with them, foregoing his final year of university, but he was reluctant to do that. They finally worked an agreement – he signed for the coming season, and they would pay for his final year. He completed it over three summers, earning a degree in marketing and management. At Calgary, the skills he perfected in lacrosse made him a superb defensive forward.

In 1989, Colin played on a line with Doug Gilmore and Joe Mullen, and won the Stanley Cup. That same year, he was a finalist for the Selke Trophy. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 1991, and played with them for two seasons, followed by a year with HK Olimpija in Ljubjana, Slovenia, before retiring from hockey.

He was inducted into the Clarkson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Colin is president of Just-In Case Ltd, a firm that designs and manufactures eco-friendly portable fire suppression equipment, to safeguard people who live or work more than ten minutes from emergency response. He lives in Calgary with his wife Sherri, daughters Stephanie and Michelle, and son Derek.

Brian Shanahan

Brian’s lacrosse career flourished while playing Junior A and Junior B for the Etobicoke Eclipse.

He played sixteen years in senior lacrosse winning 5 straight Mann Cups from 1992-1996. Only eight players have ever won 5 consecutive Mann Cups.

During that time, he was named Defenseman of the Year and MVP of the Ontario Major League in 1995.

For over 30 years, Shanahan has dedicated most of his time, playing, coaching, mentoring and promoting lacrosse. He is universally respected and many of his players that he coached have gone on to play either professional lacrosse or professional hockey.

A longtime Etobicoke resident, Brian is a colour commentator for the National Lacrosse League.

Dennis Maruk

Dennis grew up in Etobicoke where he started playing hockey at eight years of age. He began his OHA career with the Toronto Marlies and was later traded to the London Knights.

In the 1975-76 season he was drafted by the California Golden Seals, which after its demise, resurfaced as the Cleveland Barons. That club folded and was later absorbed by the Minnesota North Stars, Dennis included.

Dennis was later traded to the Washington Capitols and became one of the NHL’s top scorers. In his second full season with the club he scored 50 goals. The next year, 1981, he scored 60 goals and 76 assists for a total of 136 points. Today only eight players in history have equalled or surpassed his single season point totals.

Dennis finished his NHL career with the Minnesota North Stars in 1989, ending a stellar 16-year career.

Dennis has three children and lives with his wife, Kimberly, in Aspen, Colorado, where he works at the historic Hotel Jerome.

Cliff Lumsdon

Cliff Lumsdon, much like his coach and mentor Gus Ryder, was not only a remarkable long-distance swimmer but also a compassionate and respectable individual. His achievements in swimming were formidable, earning him five World Marathon titles between 1949 and 1956 under Ryder’s guidance.

Lumsdon’s journey in swimming began when he joined the renowned Lakeshore Swim Club in the 1940s. He quickly made a name for himself, winning his first World Marathon title at the age of 18. Notably, he didn’t swim solely for victory but also to test his own limits, exemplified by his daring swim across the treacherous Juan de Fuca Strait between British Columbia and Washington state in 1956.

Even after his passing in 1991, Lumsdon’s legacy lived on through the memories shared by his wife Joan. She recalled his aversion to swimming alone, highlighting his love for competitive races that motivated him. Lumsdon’s endurance was legendary, with a rigorous training routine that included five hours of swimming daily in the Credit River, often alongside his close friend Marilyn Bell.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Lumsdon was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as the Outstanding Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1949 after winning his first world title. His contributions to the sport earned him induction into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.

Even after retiring from competitive swimming, Lumsdon remained deeply involved in the sport he loved. He coached numerous aspiring swimmers, including his daughter Kim, who herself accomplished the remarkable feat of conquering Lake Ontario in 1976.

Lumsdon’s dedication to swimming and his community was unwavering. He spent decades coaching at the Lakeshore Swim Club and also served as a valued employee of the City of Etobicoke for 30 years, leaving a lasting impact on generations of swimmers and residents alike.