The BC Sports Hall of Fame has announced the 50 entrants for the Golden Moments in B.C. Sports History campaign, leading up to the Banquet of Champions, presented by Canadian Direct Insurance.
“B.C. has a colourful and fascinating sports history,” said Allison Mailer, executive director of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “Our board of directors embraced the challenge of narrowing down to 50 from the 211 different moments that were nominated and we cannot wait to see British Columbians vote on the moments and engage in a fascinating debate over the next 50 days. We encourage everyone to visit our website and cast their vote.”
A total of 14 ranked seeds were announced, along with 36 other at-large entrants. The top three ranked seeds were:
(1) The 1954 Miracle Mile at Empire Stadium;
(2) Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics;
(3) Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope.
The top 14 moments were seeded as follows:
1. The 1954 Miracle Mile at Empire Stadium
2. Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics
3. Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope
4. Percy Williams’ 100m Olympic final in 1928
5. Nancy Greene’s giant slalom gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics
6. Rick Hansen’s 40,000km Man in Motion World Tour
7. Vancouver Whitecaps 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl championship
8. Steve Nash’s NBA MVP award for the 2004-05 and 2005-2006 seasons
9. The Vancouver Millionaires win B.C.’s first Stanley Cup championship in 1915
10. North Vancouver’s Karen Magnussen’s 1973 women’s world figure skating championship
11. Game 6 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals
12. Lui Passaglia’s game-winning field goal to win the 1994 Grey Cup at BC Place
13. Canadian Women’s Soccer team’s bronze medal at 2012 Summer Olympics
14. Larry Walker’s 1997 NL MVP award
The remaining 36 moments were seeded as part of an earlier held public draw. Fans are now be able to vote on the official bracket at www.bcsportshalloffame.com. Fans are encouraged to join the conversation online using the hashtag #50Moments.
Voting days are as follows:
* Round 1 (18 match-ups): April 21 – May 5
* Round 2 (16 match-ups): May 9 – May 12
* Round 3 (8 match-ups): May 16 – May 19
* Quarterfinal (4 match-ups): May 23 – May 26
* Semi-final (2 match-ups): May 30 – June 2
* Final: June 6 – June 8
The final four will be celebrated at the Banquet of Champions at the Vancouver Convention Centre on June 9. This year’s class, which will be formally inducted at the banquet, includes B.C. sports icons such as Wally Buono, Steve Nash, Geri Donnelly and Carl Valentine.
For those interested in attending the banquet limited tickets may still be available.
For more information about the banquet and the BC Sports Hall of Fame visit: www.bcsportshalloffame.com or go to: www.facebook.com/bcsportshall/