The Class of 2022 was formally inducted and recognized at the 2022 Bow Valley Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration on September 15th 2022 at the Banff Park Lodge.
The Class of 2022 includes:
Chic Scott – Pioneer / Mountain Pursuits
As a teenager, Chic Scott was a valuable member of the Alberta Junior Golf Team. He was a very good golfer, however, after being introduced to the mountains as a teenager, golfing was replaced entirely by mountain pursuits.
Chic was a pioneer of winter alpinism in Canada and has to his credit, the most significant of the early winter ascents in the Canadian Rockies. These include the first winter ascents of Mt. Hungabee (1966), and Mt. Assiniboine (1967).
Chic was also a pioneer of major icefields ski traverses in the Canadian Rockies, and Interior Ranges of British Columbia. The biggest of these “Grand Traverses” was his (along with Charlie Locke, Don Gardiner, and Neil Liske) first traverse of the icefields along the Continental Divide from Jasper to Lake Louise, called The Great Divide Ski Traverse (1967). This more than 300km journey is one of the greatest ski traverses in the world and was completed in three weeks, on cross country touring gear using wax, with no outside support.
In 2010 Chic skied from Jasper to Skoki Lodge via the eastern Rockies backcountry valleys for 20 days, carrying a tent, sleeping bag, food etc. with three others, at the age of 65. This was a hugely demanding and rarely completed wilderness expedition.
In 2015, at the age of 70, Chic skied from Mt. Assiniboine Lodge to Engadine Lodge, proceeded to ski around the Spray Lakes Reservoir, and continued along Goat Creek back to his home in Banff – all in one huge day. Chic’s endurance endures!
Chic has made a huge contribution to Canadian mountain culture by authoring more than a dozen books on topics of Canadian climbing, mountaineering, and skiing. In 2018 Chic was honoured by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society with the Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration.
Chic lives in Banff.
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Barry Blanchard – Athlete / Mountain Pursuits
Barry started his climbing in 1977. He is still actively climbing in 2022.
Barry has been an active in rock and ice climbing, mountaineering and backcountry skiing recreationally and professionally for 45 years. Barry has not pursued competitive climbing or climbing competitions. Unlike competitive sports mountaineering is a challenge for the individual or the climbing team in which collaboration, team work and individual grit and determination coupled with positive conditions lead to successes. First ascents and repeats of difficult routes are sometimes the determining factor of who is on top of the game.
Barry has over 70 first ascents to his name which include rock, ice and mountaineering routes and countless repeats of extremely difficult routes. In 2018, Barry completed 141 days guiding including ascents of the Northeast Face of Mt Sir Douglas, and Mt Cline. Ski ascents of Mt Columbia and Mt Andromeda.
Barry lives in Canmore
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Glen Sather – Builder / Hockey
In the mid 60s to mid-70s, Glen operated the Glen Sather Holiday Hockey School in Banff. Stars like Lanny McDonald, Kelly Hrudey attended as well as Banff kids like Barrie Stafford, Dean McGee etc. Glen was always good to the Banff, Canmore, Morley students as he always discounted them. As well, he would bring in superstars Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson etc. for a celebrity hockey game. Proceeds of the games went to minor hockey and figure skating.
In 1966, he played with the Edmonton Oil Kings. During his 3 years with the team they won the Memorial Cup. During some of these years he captained the team.
Glen was NHL player for 16 years. He played for Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadians and Minnesota North Stars and Edmonton Oilers in the World Hockey Association.
In 1976-77 Glen retired as a player and took over as coach of the Edmonton Oilers. During this time he helped purchase the contract of Wayne Gretzky. Shortly after this the Oilers were one of four teams to join the NHL. In 1980, he also became General Manager. In the NHL entry draft that year he picked up his superstars Paul Coffey, Andy Moog and Jari Kurri. Next year, he selected Grant Fuhr. Now, along with Mark Messier and Glen Anderson, the Oiler dynasty was set. With this powerful team they won 5 Stanley Cups. He led Team Canada (as their coach) to the 1984 Canada Cup championship. In 1994 he was the General Manager of the Canadian team that won the World Championship.
In 2002 Glen joined the New York Rangers as General Manager and President. He now acts as an advisor to the owner.
Glen has been involved in hockey from 1962 to the present – a total of 60 years.
Glen and his wife Anne continue to live in Banff.
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Graham MacDonald – Builder / Hockey
Graham’s love for hockey and coaching started early. As a teen he left his hometown of Okotoks, Alberta to attend the Athol Murray’s College of Notre Dame to pursue his hockey career. There his passion for the game thrived under the teaching and direction of Pere Athol Murray. After playing for the Junior Team and completing his Bachelor of Arts, Graham attended St. Francis Xavier University where he played hockey for the X-Men and completed a Bachelor of Education. During the summers he would come to Banff to help at The Glen Sather Holiday Hockey Camp where he coached and ran the outdoor program. Graham later pursued a hockey career overseas where he was a player/coach for a professional Italian team, The Auronzo di Cadore Senators. When he returned to Banff he became the recreation director for the Town where he started rollerblade clinics and helped organize summer fun camps.
At the time, hockey was predominately a man’s game, so when Graham and his wife, Chris MacDonald had three daughters, he decided to do something about this. Graham was quick to notice there were almost no opportunities for girls in Alberta, let alone the Bow Valley. He rallied other parents and made the push to start Banff’s first community female hockey program.
“Girls don’t play hockey” was the phrase Graham was met with time and time again when we was fighting tooth and nail for ice time to start a girls’ team. At this time girls were only accepted in the rink if they were in the stands, figure skating, or playing ringette. Graham battled the figure skating club, minor hockey, and the Old Timers for coveted ice time. Initially, he was only able to secure a 6 am time slot for the girls to practice. Dressing rooms were a different story. Before Graham, if a girl was playing hockey she had to dress in the storage room, referee room, or in the Women’s lobby bathroom. He was able to convince his Old Timer’s teammates to lend the girls their exclusive dressing room as rink staff wouldn’t give the girls one. Over the years it became clear female hockey wasn’t going away so ice time got better, dressing rooms became available, and more girls started leaving figure skating to join the team he started, the Banff Bobcats.
Graham is a pioneer in the Alberta women’s hockey community. He fostered relationships with the other female hockey allies, in small towns across Alberta, pushing to give girl’s hockey a chance.
Graham lives in Banff.
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Paul Stutz – Athlete / Alpine Skiing
Paul had his first ski race at the age of 5 with the Quikies/Banff Alpine Racers in 1988. From that early date, he went on to National and International competitions. He achieved 88 podiums (45 Gold medals) at the FIS level 1999-2014 and 76 World Cup starts 2004-2014.
Paul retired in 2014, but continues to contribute to Alpine Skiing as a Board member for the Banff Alpine Racers.
Paul has always taken his responsibility to his sport seriously. While competing and in retirement, he has given back at all levels and in many capacities. He values the lasting relationships with the sport organizations, the corporate sponsors and providers and the athletes.
Paul has been named to the 2021 Canadian Rockies Ski Hall of Fame as the Honoured Alberta/Canadian Alpine Team Alumni and has been recently inducted at the Highest Peak Gala.
Paul lives in Cochrane but continues his connection to the Bow Valley through family and friends.
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Rosanna Crawford – Athlete / Biathlon
Rosanna got an early start on skis. By the age of 5 she was already backcountry skiing with her parents who would make many weekend trips into the mountains around the Bow Valley area.
Crawford had her Olympic dream sparked while watching older sister Chandra win gold in cross-country skiing at Turin 2006. Crawford made her IBU World Championship debut in 2013. She had some outstanding performances three years later when she finished 14th in the 15km individual and qualified for the 12.5km mass start, placing 15th. She was named Biathlon Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2012-13, 2014-2015, and 2015-16.
Rosanna competed in many IBU events and represented Canada at the 2010, 2014, and 2018 Winter Olympics.
Rosanna and her husband Brendan Green currently live in Yellowknife NWT.
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Brendan Green – Athlete / Biathlon
Born and raised in Hay River, Northwest Territories, Green started skiing at the age of three and transitioned to biathlon at the age of nine. He left Hay River, NWT moving to Canmore where he quickly became one of the best biathletes in the country.
Brendan holds nine Canadian championship medals. He was first inspired to chase his Olympic dream when Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Winter Games. He also participated in two other Olympics including Sotchi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018. Brendan Green helped make Canadian biathlon history in 2016 when he anchored the 4×7.5km relay team to Bronze for Canada’s first ever relay medal at the World Championships.
Brendan faced some tough medical challenges during his career. It began in July 2011 when he herniated a disk while doing weight work in the gym. He was able to compete on the 2011-12 World Cup circuit and finished the season as Canada’s top-ranked man. Brendan retired in 2019 after the Canmore World Cup.
Brendan and his wife Rosanna Crawford currently live in Yellowknife NWT.
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Alex Kaleta – Athlete / Hockey
Alex was born in Canmore and played for Canmore Briquettes (1937-38).
Nicknamed “Seabiscuit” after the race horse because of his speed on skates, he played for the Saskatoon Quakers in the (pacific Coast hockey league) before the league was absorbed by the (Western Hockey League).
He was a player coach for the Saskatoon Quakers 1953-54.
Alex played in 6 different hockey leagues over his career including the NHL and a few semi pro and amateur leagues from (1938-55). He missed 3 years of pro hockey from (1942-45) Due to World War 2. During this time, he did play for The Calgary A16 Currie Army team. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and The New York Rangers.
Most famous for being accredited with the term “the hat trick”. The term has carried into other sports as well.
Alex passed away in 1987.
The Canmore arena has been named in his honor.