11 famous Canadian Gordons
The first name shared by Mr. Hockey, a top-paid banker and two members of The Hip
(Original Caption) Frank Udvari, tries to get out of harm’s way as Red Wing Gordie Howe (right) sends Toronto’s Gordie Hannigan into the boards during semifinal Stanley Cup playoffs. Detroit won this game, 3-2. (Bettmann/Getty Images)
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1. Gordie Howe: “Mr. Hockey” played for 32 seasons in the NHL and the WHA, amassing 2,358 points and 2,084 penalty minutes, thanks to his notoriously sharp elbows.
2. Gordon Lightfoot: Iconic singer-songwriter of hits like Sundown, If You Could Read My Mind and Canadian Railroad Trilogy. Winner of 16 Juno awards.
3. Gordon Sinclair: Legendary journalist and broadcaster who spent 27 years as the resident curmudgeon on CBC’s Front Page Challenge.
4. Gordon Korman: Beloved and prolific author of more than 75 books, mostly for kids and young adults. Wrote his first novel, This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall, as a Grade 7 project.
5. Gordon Pinsent: Newfoundland-born actor who has been an inescapable presence on Canadian TV and the silver screen for more than five decades.
6. Gord Downie: Lead singer of the Tragically Hip, a band so Canadian it boasts two guys named Gordon. (Bassist Gord Sinclair, who should not to be confused with No. 3 on this list.)
7. Walter Gordon: Public servant, former federal finance minister and author who was the godfather of the Liberal party’s economic nationalism in the 1960s and ’70s.
8. Sir Gordon Drummond: Lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, hero of the War of 1812, first Canadian-born officer to command troops in the country.
9. Gord Martineau: The anchor of Toronto’s CityTV (now City) newscast. A dinnertime fixture for 35 years and counting.
10. Gordon Nixon: President and CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada since 2001. Took home a $12.6-million pay packet in 2012.
11. Gordon Campbell: Former mayor of Vancouver and premier of British Columbia who will be remembered for presiding over the 2012 Winter Games, as well as his mugshot after a 2003 drunk-driving arrest in Hawaii.
The Maclean’s Book of Lists, Vol. 2, is now available at www.macleans.ca/bookoflists, in the iBookstore, and on newsstands June 24.