The Most Famous

SKATERS from Canada

This page contains a list of the greatest Canadian Skaters. The pantheon dataset contains 483 Skaters, 34 of which were born in Canada. This makes Canada the birth place of the 4th most number of Skaters behind United States, and Netherlands.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Canadian Skaters of all time. This list of famous Canadian Skaters is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Canadian Skaters.

1. Debbi Wilkes (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 51.43, Debbi Wilkes is the most famous Canadian Skater. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Debbi Wilkes (born December 16, 1946) is a Canadian former pair skater. With skating partner Guy Revell, she became a two-time Canadian national champion, the 1963 North American champion, and the 1964 Olympic silver medallist.

2. Brian Orser (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 48.15, Brian Orser is the 2nd most famous Canadian Skater. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Brian Ernest Orser (born 18 December 1961) is a Canadian former competitive and professional figure skater and coach to Olympic champions. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medallist, 1987 World champion and eight-time (1981–88) Canadian national champion. At the 1988 Winter Olympics, the rivalry between Orser and American figure skater Brian Boitano, who were the two favorites to win the gold medal, captured media attention and was described as the "Battle of the Brians". Orser turned professional in 1988 and skated with Stars on Ice for almost 20 years. As a coach, he has led both Yuna Kim (2010) and Yuzuru Hanyu (2014, 2018) to Olympic titles. He also coached Javier Fernández to Olympic bronze (2018) and the 2015 and 2016 World titles. He is a Skating Consultant at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.

3. Barbara Ann Scott (1928 - 2012)

With an HPI of 45.66, Barbara Ann Scott is the 3rd most famous Canadian Skater. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Barbara Ann Scott (May 9, 1928 – September 30, 2012) was a Canadian figure skater. She was the 1948 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1947–1948), and a four-time Canadian national champion (1944–46, 48) in ladies' singles. Known as "Canada's Sweetheart", she is the only Canadian to have won the Olympic ladies' singles gold medal, the first North American to have won three major titles in one year and the only Canadian to have won the European Championship (1947–48). During her forties she was rated among the top equestrians in North America. She received many honours and accolades, including being made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1991 and a member of the Order of Ontario in 2008.

4. Barbara Wagner (b. 1938)

With an HPI of 44.96, Barbara Wagner is the 4th most famous Canadian Skater. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Barbara Aileen Wagner (born May 5, 1938) is a Canadian former pair skater. She teamed up with Robert Paul in 1952. They became the 1960 Olympic champions, four-time World champions, and five-time Canadian national champions. After retiring from competition, the pair toured with Ice Capades. Wagner was formerly married to U.S. figure skater James Grogan. She resides in Alpharetta, Georgia, coaching figure skating at the Alpharetta Family Skate Center, the Cooler, and is a member of the Atlanta Figure Skating Club.

5. Alexander Hurd (1910 - 1982)

With an HPI of 42.88, Alexander Hurd is the 5th most famous Canadian Skater. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alexander Brengle Hurd (July 21, 1910 – May 28, 1982) was a Canadian speed skater and Olympic medalist. He won a silver medal and a bronze medal at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

6. Suzanne Morrow Francis (1930 - 2006)

With an HPI of 42.77, Suzanne Morrow Francis is the 6th most famous Canadian Skater. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Suzanne Morrow Francis (December 14, 1930 – June 11, 2006) was a Canadian figure skater and veterinarian. She competed in Ladies' Singles in the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics. Between 1947 and 1948, Francis competed in Pairs Mixed competitions with Canadian figure skater Wallace Diestelmeyer. Together they won the bronze medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics and the 1948 World Figure Skating Championships. They were the first pair team to perform the death spiral one-handed, with the man holding the woman in position with one hand, at the 1948 Olympic Games.

7. Toller Cranston (1949 - 2015)

With an HPI of 42.31, Toller Cranston is the 7th most famous Canadian Skater. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Toller Shalitoe Montague Cranston (April 20, 1949 – January 24, 2015) was a Canadian figure skater and painter. He won the 1971–1976 Canadian national championships, the 1974 World bronze medal and the 1976 Olympic bronze medal. Despite never winning at the World Figure Skating Championships due to his poor compulsory figures, he won the small medal for free skating at the 1972 and 1974 championships. Cranston is credited by many with having brought a new level of artistry to men's figure skating.

8. Robert Paul (b. 1937)

With an HPI of 41.13, Robert Paul is the 8th most famous Canadian Skater. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Robert Paul (born June 2, 1937) is a Canadian former pair skater. He teamed up with Barbara Wagner in 1952. They became the 1960 Olympic champions, four-time World champions, and five-time Canadian national champions. After retiring from competition, the pair toured with Ice Capades. Paul choreographed for Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Linda Fratianne, and Donny and Marie. He was one of Mirai Nagasu's coaches. He appeared in the Bewitched episode "Samantha on Thin Ice".

9. Montgomery Wilson (1909 - 1964)

With an HPI of 39.94, Montgomery Wilson is the 9th most famous Canadian Skater. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

William Stewart Montgomery "Bud" Wilson (August 20, 1909 – November 15, 1964) was a Canadian figure skater. Competing in singles, he became the 1932 Olympic bronze medallist, the 1932 World silver medallist, a six-time North American champion, and a nine-time Canadian national champion.

10. Cindy Klassen (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 36.28, Cindy Klassen is the 10th most famous Canadian Skater. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Cindy Klassen, (born August 12, 1979) is a Canadian retired long track speed skater. She is a six-time medallist having achieved one gold, two silver, three bronze at the Winter Olympics. She is the only Canadian Olympian to win five medals in a single Olympic Games and the first female speed skater to win five medals in a single Games at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. She was a world record holder in the 3000 m until March 2019, when her time was beaten by Martina Sáblíková. She also holds the Canadian records over 1500 m and 5000 m. Klassen is the leader of the Adelskalender, which is the all-time world ranking for speed skating. In 2003, Klassen became the first Canadian in 27 years to win the overall title at the World Speed Skating Championships. Klassen has several major awards and accolades to her name, including the Lou Marsh Trophy in 2006, which is awarded for Canada's best athlete of the year. Due to her accomplishments at the 2006 Winter Olympics and her many accomplishments throughout her career, Klassen was named to the Order of Manitoba. Klassen was awarded the Oscar Mathisen Award in 2006 for outstanding speed skating performance of the year. In 2007, she was named the Female Athlete of the Year at the Canadian Sports Awards. Klassen won the 2005 and 2006 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as female athlete of the year as presented by the Canadian Press. She was also tipped as Speed Skating Canada's 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Female Skater of the Year for long track speed skating. The Canadian Mint featured Klassen on a Canadian quarter in 2010 as part of their Olympic memories editions and as a recognition of her six Olympic medals.

People

Pantheon has 39 people classified as Canadian skaters born between 1909 and 1998. Of these 39, 34 (87.18%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Canadian skaters include Debbi Wilkes, Brian Orser, and Barbara Wagner. The most famous deceased Canadian skaters include Barbara Ann Scott, Alexander Hurd, and Suzanne Morrow Francis. As of April 2024, 4 new Canadian skaters have been added to Pantheon including David Pelletier, Jessica Dubé, and Jamie Salé.