and the kilometre-long straightaway along the Olympic basin

CALGARY -- Kyle Shewfelts Olympic gold medal in gymnastics shines bright a decade later because it is the first and only of its kind in Canada. Unlike the Olympic champion who has a teammate or hero to follow or emulate, Shewfelt blazed his own trail to win the floor routine in 2004. He is the only Canadian to win an Olympic medal of any colour in gymnastics. The Calgarian is among the athletes, builders and coaches who will be inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in June. Hell join speedskater Cindy Klassen, the victorious mens eight rowing team of 2008, speedskating coach Marcel Lacroix, hockey coach Pat Quinn and the late, former Alberta premier Ralph Klein among the 2014 inductees. Sports journalist Richard Garneau, who covered 23 Olympic Games, will receive the Canadian Olympic Order posthumously. While Shewfelt agrees no Canadian beat a path to the podium for him, he didnt feel isolated in his quest. "Why did it happen for me? I wasnt by myself," Shewfelt said. "I had tons of supporters, amazing teammates, my national federation was so supportive of the dream. They sent me around the world when I was 17 to get that experience. I just never wavered in my belief that it was possible. "I watched the Russians, I watched the Americans, the Chinese and the Japanese and I imagined myself being just like them. I did have incredible Canadian ambassadors in sport, Jennifer Wood was my idol, Curtis Hibbert, Stella Umeh, these are people I really looked up to. "For myself, I wanted to take it to the next level and I guess it took a lot of courage for myself to do that, but it was something I was willing to risk. I knew as an athlete that when I ended by career, I wanted to look back and have no regrets. I had to chase the biggest dream possible." Shewfelt, 31, retired in 2009 after competing in three Olympic Games. He broke both legs in competition less than a year out from the 2008 Summer Games, yet finished ninth in the vault and 11th in the floor routine in Beijing. Shewfelt, who has a vault named after him, recently opened a gymnastics school in the city. The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame was established in 1949. It is housed in the Frank King Olympic Visitors Centre at Calgarys Canada Olympic Park about a kilometre from Canadas Sports Hall of Fame. Previous inductees into the Olympic Hall of Fame include wrestler Daniel Igali, swimmer Mark Tewksbury, synchronized swimmer Caroline Waldo and sprinter Donovan Bailey. The class of 2014 was revealed Wednesday in downtown Calgary along with the announcement that the city will host a three-day celebration June 4-6 of Canadas performance at the Sochi Games. Shewfelt and Lacroix, who coached Christine Nesbitt and the mens pursuit team to Olympic gold in 2010, attended the news conference. Quinn and members of the mens eight participated in a conference call. Klein spearheaded Calgarys bid for the 1988 Winter Games when he was mayor of the city. Albertas premier from 1992 to 2006 died last year at the age of 70. Winnipegs Klassen won five medals, including one gold, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee at the time, labelled her "the woman of the Games." With six career medals, she and Clara Hughes are Canadas most decorated Olympians of all time. Klassen, 34, did not compete in trials to qualify for Sochi because of a concussion. She has yet to announce her retirement from speedskating. Canada won the first mens hockey gold in 50 years in 2002 with Quinn behind the bench. Canadians were still stinging from finishing out of the medals four years earlier when NHL players first participated in the Winter Games. It didnt help that Canada got off to a rough start in Salt Lake City with a loss to Sweden. "In the first game, we had eight lousy minutes," Quinn recalled. "Everybody was down after the first loss to Sweden. By the time we reviewed the tape of the game, we knew that we werent that far off. Even though the score was ugly, the game wasnt ugly." The leadership of Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic and Joe Nieuwendyk steered the team through choppy waters and also got young players on the team to toe the line, Quinn said. "Our leadership took over and said this is the way were going to do it," Quinn said. "That was when we simply had a change in our mindset about what team means. We got these young guys paying attention through the process. "Thats what saved us in Salt Lake. Our goal was to get better shift by shift because we had no real practice time and thats where the coach needs his team to come together is through practice. We used the early games as a practice to get ready for the final round." The mens eight of coxswain Brian Price, Andrew Byrnes, Ben Rutledge, Dominic Seiterle, Kyle Hamilton, Malcolm Howard, Jake Wetzel, Adam Kreek and Kevin Light led the final from start to finish to win gold in Beijing. It was a tale of redemption after a heavily favoured Canadian crew finished out of the medals four years earlier. The Canadians dodged early pitfalls in Beijing. Primed and ready for their first heat, races were cancelled that day due to lightning. "Picture a bunch of racehorses or dogs at a race track and theyre all revved up to go and attack and they have all this energy and adrenaline built up," Kreek explained. "We were like these racehorses ready to run, these hunting dogs ready to pounce." With officials hustling boats off the course, Price used what little time they had to get hard rows in as they headed for the docks. "We didnt have to go back and sit on bikes or on the rowing machine and try to get some work in," Hamilton said. "We were able to manipulate the situation to make sure we got our work in and were ready to go. "Instead of just paddling back, Brian had already shifted us into the next day into the next race plan. That really kind of set us up for the next day, set us up for the regatta and told the young guys on the crew that we were ready to go, we knew what we were doing and we could handle every situation." They needed that composure the following day. Not 500 metres into their heat, the Australians blew a rudder and veered towards the Canadian boat. "Were seeing this Australian boat coming towards us and its going to pierce right through our hull," Kreek recalled. "The eight of us wont act unless Brian says something. Brian sees the Aussies coming at us and says take five strokes now. "All eight of us take the biggest strokes of our life. We barely missed the Aussie boat as it skidded right behind our stern." Lacroix coached Nesbitt and the mens pursuit team of Denny Morrison, Mathieu Giroux and Lucas Makowsky to gold at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C. Now the associate director of sport at Calgarys Olympic Oval, Lacroix says Canadas sport system now recognizes and values the coachs contribution to an athletes performance. One example is the Canadian Olympic Committee now pays medal bonuses to coaches of Olympic medallists. "From the provincial level all the way to the national team and to the COC, there is a big push in terms of recognizing the profession of coaching," Lacroix said. "It has become a profession. Now with the bonuses that are given to the coaches for their effort, I think it is showing a lot of respect for that profession at all levels." 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BRUINS STORM BACK TO TAKE GAME TWO The Boston Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit, scoring four unanswered goals, to win Game Two, 5-3 over the Montreal Canadiens.MONTREAL -- Racing fans can expect the annual revving of high-speed engines at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for at least another decade, as the Formula One Group reached an agreement worth more than $200 million to bring the Canadian Grand Prix back to Montreal through 2024. The Grand Prixs future in Montreal was secured with the help of substantial governmental investment: $62 million from the federal government, $50 million from Quebec, $62 million from Tourisme Montreal and at least $32 million from the City of Montreal. Montreal mayor Denis Coderre was on hand at the racetrack on Ile Sainte-Helene for the announcement on Saturday morning, alongside ministers of infrastructure and transport from the provincial and federal governments. "This is the place to be this weekend, and this is the place to be for the next 10 years," said Coderre, who worked on the deal for several months with Formula One. "The Canadian Grand Prix is part and parcel of Montreal. It is one of the big international events that builds on Montreals outstanding reputation and ranks it among the worlds great cities." As a condition to the agreements success, the City of Montreal also agreed to renovate the track, including making improvements to the team paddocks, the control tower, and the on-site medical centre, for which it will spend $25 million to $40 million. Coderre promised work would begin this fall and would be completed in time for the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix. "The importance of this showcase to Montreal is beyond measure," said the mayor. "If Montreal wants to present itself as a metropolis, and join the ranks of other great cities around the world, we have to maintain this high level of authority. Its our signature. Its part of our DNA. It is one of the big international events that builds on Montreals outstanding reputation." The deal is big. Montreals Formula One weekend attracts visitors from around the world, and repeatedly rakes in roughly $70 million to $90 million a year. It is broadcast in 150 countries and watched by approximately 300 million viewers worldwide. And its not just great for the City of Montreal, says former-F1 champiion Jacques Villeneuve.dddddddddddd. Beyond the dollars and cents, Villeneuve believes the track named after his father is simply one of the most exciting in the world from a racing standpoint. "Its great for the teams and the drivers because its a fun track," he said on Friday in anticipation of the announcement. "Its a good venue. Everybody likes coming here. They come in a few days early. Its party time all week. Theres good energy." Villeneuve ranked Montreal as one of the top-four racing destinations, together with Monaco, Melbourne, and Singapore. "Its one of the few races that look different, where theres action," he said. "If you look at the modern tracks, you could be anywhere. They all look the same. And you fall asleep on your couch. Its one of those few that you need to keep on the calendar to keep Formula One special." Circuit Gilles Villeneuve -- all 4.3 kilometres of it -- is known for its sharp hairpin turn after the pit area, early safety cars, its tight Senna curves, and the kilometre-long straightaway along the Olympic basin that allows for speeds up to 300 kilometres per hour. Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel, who finished third behind Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Saturdays qualifying session, says Montreal is one of his favourite races of the year. "Its one of the few places in the calendar where the whole city really parties all weekend long and embraces the Grand Prix and really appreciates it," he said. "For us, thats a great feeling, to stand on the grid and have so many fans during the drivers parade and when you race. Seeing the full grandstands makes your job extra special." "Its a great track, the fans are fantastic, so enthusiastic," added Rosberg. "Im very happy and Im sure everybody else is that well be coming here more often in the future." Notes: This year marks the 35th running of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The race gets underway Sunday afternoon. a In 2009, Montreal was removed from the F1 season when the provincial government refused to pay more to renew the race. The event returned the following year. ' ' '