Newest inductees announced for Walk of Fame

BRODIE FENLON

Globe and Mail Update

A hockey legend, a news anchor and an Alberta rock band joined film and television heavyweights on Tuesday as the newest inductees into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Former Toronto Maples Leafs goalie Johnny Bower, the first Leafs player to be named to the Walk of Fame, will be honoured with 10 other Canadian stars at a ceremony on June 9 in Toronto.

Walk of Fame announcement:

Born in Saskatchewan, Mr. Bower joined the Maple Leafs as a goalie in 1958 and led the team into the playoffs in his first season. He won three consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1962-1964 and helped the Leafs win the Cup again in 1967. Known by his nickname “The China Wall,” Mr. Bower refused to wear a mask for most of his career and was one of the team's “Original Six,” known for their fearless play.

The other inductees for the annual awards ceremony, announced Tuesday at a posh luncheon, are:

• Lloyd Robertson – Known as the “dean of Canadian news,” Mr. Robertson is chief anchor and senior editor for CTV News. His 50-year career in journalism has seen him anchoring news coverage of historic Canadian events, including the Quebec referendum, federal elections and the terrorism attack of Sept. 11, 2001.

• Nickelback – The chart-topping band from Hanna, Alta., has sold more than 21 million records worldwide and was named the world's best rock band at the 2006 World Music Awards. The band is composed of Chad Kroeger on vocals and guitar, Ryan Peake on guitar, Mike Kroeger on bass and Daniel Adair on drums.

• Jill Hennessy – Raised in Edmonton, Ms. Hennessy is widely known for her roles as Claire Kincaid in the Emmy-award-winning NBC drama Law & Order and as medical examiner Jordan Cavanaugh on the hit show Crossing Jordan. She began her acting in career in Toronto on the feature film Dead Ringers and studied improv at Second City.

• Catherine O'Hara – An alumnus of Toronto's Second City theatre troupe, Ms. O'Hara has starred in several ensemble movie casts of late, including those of director Christopher Guest in such films as Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.

• Gordon Pinsent – A 40-year veteran of Canadian screen and stage, Mr. Pinsent began his career at the Manitoba Theatre Centre and quickly made his way to the Stratford Festival. Recent screen and TV credits include Due South, Powerplay, The Thomas Crown Affair, the Red Green Show and The Shipping News. He hails from Grand Falls, Nfld.

• Rick Hansen – Mr. Hansen crossed 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries in a wheelchair for his epic 1985 Man in Motion world tour, raising $26-million for spinal cord injury research. Raised in Williams Lake, B.C., Mr. Hansen was paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 15 in a car crash. He is president and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation, which has generated more than $178-million for research.

• Ivan Reitman – Although Mr. Reitman was announced as an inductee in 2001, he was unable to attend the ceremony and will be officially honoured this year. A producer of film, TV and stage productions, Mr. Reitman has been behind some of Canada's biggest box-office hits, including Animal House and Meatballs. He also produced several hits south of the border, including the Ghostbusters series, Legal Eagles, Twins, Kindergarten Cop and more recently, Eurotrip and Old School.

Established in 1998, Canada's Walk of Fame celebrates Canadian successes in arts, entertainment and sports. To date, 101 people have been honoured.

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