Halifax, NS - - One Night Only Gala a celebration of N.S. greats
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ORIGINAL STORY by WILLY PALOV The Chronicle Herald
There was plenty of reminiscing at Thursday’s One Night Only Gala to celebrate the best athletes in provincial history.
Eight of the living members of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame’s Top 15 list gathered at the Halifax Convention Centre to tell their stories to a sold-out room of admirers.
Headlining the event was Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who was the runaway winner as the best Nova Scotia athlete ever. The 30-year-old future Hockey Hall of Famer from Cole Harbour talked about some of the highlights of his career and what it means to him to be from this province.
“I’m extremely proud to call this my home and I love coming back every summer,†Crosby said. “You feel the support everywhere. Everyone who’s here tonight and who came to be a part of this, we all have a lot of pride here. No matter where you go, you always feel like there’s a part of home with you. I can tell you from going to different places, you love coming home and you always feel the support from here.â€
Curler Colleen Jones of Halifax earned the No. 2 spot and retired NHL defenceman Al MacInnis of Port Hood was third. Swimmer Nancy Garapick of Halifax was voted the fourth-best athlete ever but did not attend because she is fiercely private.
Softball player Mark Smith of Halifax (10th) was also absent because he was on the road coaching the Canadian women’s softball team.
“Sport has given me everything,†Smith said via a recorded video message. “Everything I’ve accomplished in my life until this very second I attribute to sports. There isn’t an experience I’ve had that I can’t relate a life skill to sports. It’s opened doors, it’s created friendships, I’ve been able to travel the world and it’s taught me about success.â€
Also in attendance were paddlers Steve Giles of Lake Echo (ninth), Karen Furneaux of Waverley (11th) and Mark de Jonge of Halifax (14th), gymnast Ellie Black of Halifax (12th) and Paralympian Jamie Bone of Dartmouth (13th).
Named to the list posthumously were boxers Sam Langford of Weymouth Falls (fifth) and George Dixon of Halifax (sixth), runners Johnny Miles of Sydney Mines (seventh) and Aileen Meagher of Halifax (eighth), and figure skater Rob McCall of Dartmouth (15th).
“I know without the support I had here I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any of it,†Black said. “My coaches, my family — everyone that’s ever supported me and helped me have that passion for gymnastics and to keep going and to never be afraid to go for my dreams.â€
There were several kids in the audience who came to see their heroes so there was a theme throughout the night of the athletes encouraging them to chase their own sports goals.
“With hard work and if you believe in yourself, you can accomplish big things,†Bone said. “When I was preparing for a Kingsmeadow sports dinner many years ago I came across something that went something like this ‘If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost. If you like to win but think you can’t, it’s almost a (certainty) you won’t. The battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster (competitor) but eventually it’s the person who says ‘I can’ that wins.’â€
Athough most of the night was about reflecting on the athletes’ past achievements, some also looked forward. De Jonge said he is gearing up again for a bid to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“That’s the plan,†de Jonge said to loud applause. “I’m still training. Being a father now, I’m around home more which is great because Halifax has a lot to offer for canoe-kayak. It’s one of the hot spots in the world. Things are going well. I’m going to worlds in August and we’ll see how I do there but I’m pretty excited to be back at it.â€
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame CEO Bruce Rainnie was the host for the event, which was roughly one year in the works. Proceeds were shared between the Hall of Fame and The Sidney Crosby Foundation.
Cape Breton musician Jimmy Rankin also made a surprise performance midway through the evening.
