BC Sports Hall of Fame Mourns the Loss of 2021 Inductee Gino Odjick

Vancouver, B.C. – One of the most beloved and toughest Vancouver Canucks ever, Gino Odjick died on Sunday, January 15th at the age of 52. His achievements on the ice and in the community made a remarkable contribution to BC sport and resulted in his induction into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

“The sadness around Gino Odjick’s passing is surpassed only by the love that was bestowed upon him by fans of the Vancouver Canucks and everyone who ever met him,” says BC Sports Hall of Fame Chair Tom Mayenknecht. “He was a mountain of a man, had the biggest and most golden of hearts and did so much to inspire young indigenous people everywhere he went. His larger than life persona will live on in perpetuity through the Indigenous Sport Gallery and his own place in the Hall of Champions at the BC Sports Hall at BC Place.”

Of Algonquin heritage, Gino grew up on the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation reserve near Maniwaki, Quebec. He learned to play hockey on the reserve’s outdoor rink and years later this rink was named in his honour.

Drafted by the Canucks in the fifth round at the 1990 NHL Draft, he made an immediate impact and remained a key Canuck for the next eight seasons, including the 1994 run to the Stanley Cup Final. Few athletes have had their name chanted so fervently by stadium crowds as Odjick. He was known for taking on the NHL’s heavyweight enforcers through the 1990s and courageously protecting his teammates.

Over 12 NHL seasons with Vancouver, New York Islanders, Philadelphia, and Montreal, Gino played in 605 games and totaled 137 points. Of his 2,567 career penalty minutes (17^th most in NHL history), 2,127 came with the Canucks – a club record that still stands.

In recognition of his NHL career and many years giving back to Indigenous communities, Gino was awarded the 2015 Indspire Award, the highest honour the Canadian Indigenous community bestows upon an individual.

Read more about Odjick’s amazing career: BC Sports Hall of Fame’s Curator Corner

About the BC Sports Hall of Fame:

The BC Sports Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary achievement in B.C. sport. As a non-profit charitable organization, the Hall curates an astounding collection of 27,000 heritage artifacts and 100,000 archival documents representing 150-years of sport history in British Columbia. For more information, please visit bcsportshall.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @bcsportshall.

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Media Contact

Adam Forsythe
BC Sports Hall of Fame
(778) 989-1469
aforsythe@lbmg.ca