Canada has managed to produce some absolutely outstanding athletes that have left almost insurmountable records during their heyday. The two most well-known would include sports people such as Wayne Gretzky and Steve Nash – but there are a whole host of others.
With different sports becoming more central in Canadian culture, many of these sports have a competitive aspect that is helping the country develop champions. This rise in popularity has also brought with it a rise in people wanting to place bets on their favourite teams and gambling on sites such as CasinosforMoney.
When you take a look at the talent that has been produced by Canada over the last 50 years, a few sportspeople stand out as the best not only do what they do for Canada but in the history of their sport! Here are a few standouts:
Georges St Pierre
One of the best fighters to ever step foot into the UFC Octagon, St Pierre is often credited as being one of the stars of MMA that brought it to the height it is today. He’s not just counted as the best UFC fighter from Canada, but argued to be the best MMA fighter of all time – And his UFC record of 26 wins and 2 draws backs this up.
Having defended his title not just once, twice but a whopping 8 times! He also held titles in two different weights at the same time and came back after a four-year retirement to show he still had what it takes to win a title.
Mike Weir
Whilst not as instantly recognisable as some of the other names on our list, Mike Weir is often argued to be one of the best pro golfers of all time from Canada. He achieved a high level of success with his golfing career in the 2000s and was ranked in the top 10 golfers for the majority of the time he was active.
Weir is also noted as being the first-ever Canadian to win the masters – a major golf title and an accolade he will forever hold.
Marie Philip-Poulin
Ice hockey is the national sport of Canada and is well ingrained in the culture. When it comes to women’s ice hockey, one name, in particular, is spoken with the highest regard – Marie Philip-Poulin.
Easily ranked as one of the best women to play on the ice, Philip-Poulin has plenty of accolades and medals in her cabinet – including 2 Olympic golds and captain of the women’s hockey team.
Christine Sinclair
When many people think of soccer as a sport that’s dominated by the male side of the game, on the female side of the sport a Canadian often takes people’s top spot as the greatest soccer player ever: Christine Sinclair.
Currently playing as the captain of the women’s Canadian national team, Sinclair holds a number of different records in the sport – including most international goals, one of the most prestigious records in the game.
Cindy Klassen
Arguably one of the most successful sports people of all time, let alone in Canada, Cindy Klassen is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to speed skating.
Amassing an unbelievable 5 gold medals in one Olympics in 2006, she is also currently the most decorated female athlete in Canadian history, totalling 24 medals in all.
Steve Nash
Who would ever have guessed one of the best basketball players of all time would come from Canada?
Celebrated not just in Canada but in the sport as a whole, Nash is still present in the sport as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. When he was an active player though, he was selected as an All-Star player 8 times and an All-NBA player 7 times.
Wayne Gretzky
The undeniable GOAT of Ice Hockey, Gretzky is not just a legend in his sport but a Canadian hero – so much so that someone was willing to shell out over a million dollars for Gretzkys’ last worn Oilers jersey!
Playing in the national NHL for a hefty 20 seasons he still holds almost every single offensive record out there – even though he retired more than 20 years ago. He’s also the only player to ever total more than 200 points in one single season – and he did that impressive feat 4 times in total!