Mats Sundin, Barbie and Ken-inspired ice dancing, and more
The best interviews of the week, including the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame class of 2024
It was a busy week at CBC Sports, with a multitude of hall of fame athletes taking the time to chat with us in the studio and on location.
That included Hockey Hall of Fame member Mats Sundin, who spoke with us about his new book, Home and Away. The former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs also chatted about some of the biggest moments in his playing career:
Called to the hall
The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame class of 2024 was officially inducted on Wednesday, and included larger-than-life athletes like Vicky Sunohara, Alex Nelson, Patrick Chan, and Daniel Nestor.
We spoke with the newly-minted members of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame ahead of the ceremony about what it meant to get 'called to the hall', and the current state of their respective sports. Here's what Patrick Chan had to say about the honour, and where figure skating is at today:
Past honourees, including Catriona Le May Doan and Randy Ferbey, spoke with us on the red carpet event about how the class of 2024 inspired change within their sports, and what it means to be a part of history.
Home and away
Speaking of history, Jade Kovacevic made some this past week when she became the first player signed to the Northern Super League, Canada's first women's domestic pro soccer league.
Kovacevic represented Canada at both the U17 and U20 World Cups and will now play for AFC Toronto. She told us that it was "a dream come true" to join the NSL.
WATCH | Kovacevic on becoming the 1st player signed to the NSL:
Canadian women's national team player Vanessa Gilles also joined us to talk about life since 'Dronegate' rocked the Olympic women's team at Paris 2024, and how it felt being reunited with the team in Spain for a friendly match:
Short track makeover
The first weekend of Short Track World Tour is upon us and a new format is all about making the sport more entertaining to watch. CBC commentator Michael Gilday explained how the change is energizing both skaters and fans, plus we got some insight from Canadian skaters Kim Boutin and Jordan Pierre-Gilles:
WATCH | Breaking down of the new-and-improved Short Track World Tour:
Para triathlete on top of the world, again
We also caught up with Para triathlete Stefan Daniel who became a world champion for the sixth time, which is quite a redemption story from his crash while cycling during the Paralympics this past September.
WATCH | Stefan Daniel puts Paris 2024 disappointment behind him:
Figure skating season is underway
Skate Canada International is in Halifax this weekend, so Anastasia Bucsis and Brittany MacLean set the scene for us:
We also had a chat with ice dance duo Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier about their "Barbie and Ken" inspired routine:
For those just catching up with the fact that we're already two Grand Prix events into the season, That Figure Skating Show did a season preview ahead of last week's Skate America. Check out what Asher Hill and Brenda Irving had to say right here:
