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, 2021, 8:00 pm.

Like many 2020 events, plans for the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame 2020 Induction Ceremony and Dinner, originally set for Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at the Brookstreet Hotel, were postponed due to the global pandemic.

Now organizers are excited to broadcast a unique online ceremony honouring the 2020 Inductees, which will feature keynote speaker, Gord Wilson, the colour commentator for Ottawa Senators broadcasts on TSN 1200 and the face of Sens TV.

The evening ceremony will also launch a new, year-long community initiative entitled ‘The Ottawa Sport Heritage Photo Challenge’.

“We are disappointed to not be able to celebrate the 2020 Inductees with an in-person dinner and ceremony,” says Dave Best, chair of the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame. “But we’re adapting to the current circumstances and we endeavour to create an online experience that will honour the inductees’ incredible contributions to Ottawa’s sport heritage.”

Please join us in celebrating the following Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame 2020-21 Inductees:

Dave Smart coached the Carleton University Ravens Men’s Basketball team from 1999 to 2015, and 2016 to 2019. Through those years, Smart’s teams consistently found themselves at the top of the standings, a tribute to his impeccable reputation and coaching skills, but recruitment and development savvy. Smart’s teams have won an astonishing 13 national titles, and he has won the Aberdeen Trophy as USport Coach of the Year 9 times. In 2019, Smart stepped down from coaching but remains actively involved in the spor

Marina Zenk enjoyed a stellar hockey career with the OCAA’s Seneca Sting Women’s Hockey team. In her final year, she recorded 30 points on 19 goals and 11 assists in 15 games, subsequently leading Seneca to a provincial championship. Following her playing career, Zenk established herself as an excellent on-ice official, locally, nationally and internationally. Building on her stellar reputation, she became a highly coveted international referee, serving as head arbiter in multiple world championships. She was the head referee at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and has made significant contributions to the promotion and development of women’s hockey in Canada.

Dr Don Johnson and Phil Ashcroft are legends in the field of sports medicine and rehabilitation both locally and internationally. They founded the Carleton Sports Therapy clinic in 1973, (now known as the Carleton Sport Medicine Clinic) building a world-class facility that has successfully treated tens of thousands, athletes and non-athletes alike. Dr Johnson is a leading expert in the field of arthroscopic surgery, and is credited with rescuing the playing careers of athletes across countless sports. He was the team physician for the Winter and Summer Olympic teams in 1976, as well as the Ottawa Rough Riders and Ottawa Senators. Ashcroft was once the head physiotherapist for the New Zealand All Blacks and several professional soccer teams before moving to Canada where he has serviced countless local, national and international events in soccer, rugby, track & field, including the 1976 Olympics games in Montreal.

John Therien is synonymous with martial arts in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. A ninth degree black belt in Jiu Jitsu, John has earned the prestigious title of ‘Hanshi’, which means Leader of Leaders. Through his schools scattered throughout the region, John has coached and certified thousands of students to Black Belt status over the last 50 years. For nearly two decades, he was a manager and coach to 23-time World Kickboxing Champion, Jean-Yves Theriault. Therien was inducted into the Canadian Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2010, and is currently the Executive Director of the World Kobudo Federation, and he is a mentor to other instructors around the world.

Derek Holmes, like many Canadians, lives and breathes the sport of hockey, however few have had such a prolific impact on the game both at home and abroad. He began as a player, toiling through various leagues, winning championships and even serving as captain of the Canadian National team in 1968. At the conclusion of his playing career, he went on to serve the sport in a wide range of roles from coach, to general manager, both at home and internationally. He was Executive Director of Hockey Canada in 1975, Manager of the Canadian National Team in 1978 and Hockey Canada’s first technical director in the ’80s. From 1980 through early 2000s Derek was one of the first agents for elite players from Europe, carving the way for many agents and representatives.

About the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame

The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization, which documents, curates and celebrates outstanding achievement in local sport heritage. The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors which works in close partnership with the City of Ottawa to maintain and preserve Ottawa’s rich sporting legacies. Each year, the Hall of Fame Board receives nominations from the public, and selects new inductees to be represented in the Hall. The Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame is located at City Hall. It contains artifacts, photographs and memorabilia honouring our sporting heritage, as well as commemorative plaques honouring its more than 270 inductees.

– 30 –