Inductees will be honoured on Monday, March 29, 2021, 8 pm on Rogers22 and on youtube: rogerstv.com/ottawasporthall Ottawa, ON – For the first time in the history of the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame, the prestigious Induction Awards Ceremony will be held virtually, and will be broadcast on Rogers22 and on youtube on March 29,…

By Martin Cleary Born in Vanier and raised in Lowertown Ottawa, John Therien launched his storied career in martial arts as a teenager, after stumbling upon a sign outside a small gym on Rideau Street. He had dabbled in judo at the local community centre, but after discovering Jiu-Jitsu, a word he could barely pronounce,…

By Martin Cleary Imagine being asked, out of the blue, by the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation to coach the national men’s team for an overseas country and you’re only 21 years old. That’s right, 21. Ottawa octogenarian Derek Holmes doesn’t have to imagine what that monumental moment was like. It was all…

By Martin Cleary When you think of varsity sports at Carleton University, one Ravens’ program immediately comes to mind or it should. That would be men’s basketball. When you think of the names associated with this 21st century national university dynasty, they are plentiful—Mike Smart, Osvaldo Jeanty, Aaron Doornekamp, Tyson Hinz, Thomas and Philip Scrubb…

By Martin Cleary They were young. They were running buddies. They were filled with medical knowledge. They were on the verge of greatness in a city experiencing a running and exercise boom, but they couldn’t see what was heading towards them. They would become pioneers, thrive in a dream job and thousands of athletes —…

By Martin Cleary Marina Zenk reached the pinnacle of her accomplished officiating career by refereeing the inaugural, gold-medal women’s hockey game at the 1998 Olympic Games. But the never-before explored path up that mountain for her was fraught with doubt, a seemingly unbendable rule and, in the end, shock. A year before women’s hockey made…