Celebrating 1995 Kamloops Blazers Memorial Cup Win & 4 Other Defining Moments in BC Sports History

September 4, 2024

VANCOUVER (Wednesday, September 4th, 2024) – The BC Sports Hall of Fame will celebrate five of the biggest Defining Moments in British Columbia sport history at its Annual Summit – September 19th-21st in Kamloops.

The Defining Moments to be recognized, are:

  1. Kelly Olynyk Wins Bronze at FIBA Basketball World Cup

September 10, 2023: Captained by Kamloops’ Kelly Olynyk, Canada wins its first-ever FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup medal defeating the US in the bronze-medal game 127-118 in Manila, Philippines. The result was also Canada’s first medal at a global men’s tournament in 87 years.

  1. Dylan Armstrong Wins Silver in Shot Put at World Championships

September 2, 2011: Kamloops’ Dylan Armstrong becomes the first Canadian to win a world championship medal in a throwing event, capturing the silver medal in shot put at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea. Armstrong also represented Canada at two Olympic Games: in Beijing 2008 where he won bronze and London 2012 where he finished fifth.

  1. Catharine Pendrel Olympic Bronze in Cross-Country Mountain Biking

August 20, 2016: Kamloops’ Catharine Pendrel wins bronze in women’s cross-country mountain biking at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after battling back from a crash early in the race. Pendrel represented Canada at four Olympic Games and is a two-time world championship gold medalist (2011, 2014).

  1. Rocky Mountain Fro Riders Pioneer First Freeride Mountain Biking Team

1998: Rocky Mountain Bicycles forms the first freeriding mountain bike team, known as the ‘Froriders’, featuring three Kamloops friends Richie Schley, Wade Simmons, and Brett Tippie, today considered the pioneers of the free ride mountain bike movement. All three Froriders and many scenic Kamloops hills and trails were featured prominently in the influential 1998 mountain bike film Kranked: Live to Ride.

  1. Kamloops Blazers Win Memorial Cup in 1995

Arguably the greatest team in junior hockey history, the Blazers featured a collection of future NHL’ers including Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Darcy Tucker, Tyson Nash and Nolan Baumgartner. After finishing the regular season ranked #1 in Canada, they claimed the WHL Championship and Memorial Cup. The Blazers were inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995, the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

The five milestones will be the subject of the Defining Moments Luncheon powered by PacificSport Interior BC, Friday, September 20th, at the Delta Hotel in Kamloops.

“As storytellers committed to celebrating the athletes, coaches, builders, teams and pioneers who have become parts of the fabric of our culture and heritage, we’re thrilled to have the chance to recall these Defining Moments and the memories they created for us,” said Michelle Kitchen, CEO of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “We’re proud to have the chance to celebrate these accomplishments. It’s another way for us to honour the past and inspire the future.”

Among the previous Defining Moments celebrated at the Annual Summit since 2018 include the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics, the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope in 1980, Steve Nash’s back-to-back NBA MVP titles in 2005 and 2006, Rick Hansen Man in Motion in 1987, Nancy Greene’s Olympic gold at Grenoble 1968, the Vancouver Canucks runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 1994 and 1982, the BC Lions 1994 Grey Cup victory and Michelle Stilwell’s gold medals at three consecutive Paralympic Games between 2008-2016.

Tickets for the Defining Moments Luncheon and Eric Whitehead Inspired Service Awards Dinner are available online at bcsportshall.com/summit.

About the BC Sports Hall of Fame

Located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, the BC Sports Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary achievement in B.C. sport history and inspires future generations to make their dreams come true.  As a non-profit charitable organization, the Hall curates an astounding collection of 28,000+ heritage artifacts and 100,000 archival documents representing 150-years of sport history in British Columbia. Through Hero in You Youth Education Programs, the BC Sports Hall of Fame reaches over 6,500 young learners each year across the province, advancing a mission of building outstanding community legacies by honouring the past and inspiring the future.

For more information, please visit bcsportshall.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @bcsportshall.