Hometown Heroes – Kamloops’ Best Athletes
Surge Sports News explores three of the most successful athletes to come out of the tournament capital centre.
It is not very often that sports media broadcasts highlight athletes from small towns, such as our very own Kamloops. We are here to bring you the stories of a few of your favourite hometown stars, NHL player Mark Recchi, Olympic shot put medalist Dylan Armstrong, and NBA basketball player Kelly Olynyk. We have heard of their success in the big leagues, but we will be looking deeper into the dedication and stories behind the success of these athletes that started when they were kids. Kamloops locals should be proud to say these incredible athletes began their journey to success in our quiet little town.
Mark Recchi
The hockey career of former NHL-er Mark Recchi, was jump started by his days in Kamloops. He grew up alongside 3 other brothers who all played hockey in the tournament capital as well. When it came time for junior hockey though, Mark was drafted by the New Westminster Bruins. Luckily, after a few years the local Kamloops Blazers traded for Mark and he returned home and put up an impressive number of points. When the NHL draft rolled around in 1988, Mark was drafted to the Pittsburgh Penguins. A few years later, he won his first Stanley Cup with the Penguins. He was traded to Pittsburgh’s rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, in 1991. During his time with the Flyers, he broke a record for most points in a single season – a record that has yet to be broken to this day. After the 1999/2000 NHL season, Mark finished third in goals scored across the entire league. That same summer he was recognized back in Kamloops as the “Kamloops Male Athlete of the 20th Century”. Since then, the street Blazers fans walk along before entering the Sandman Centre has been named “Mark Recchi Way.” After bouncing around a few NHL teams, Mark Recchi landed with the Carolina Hurricanes, who he won another Stanley Cup with in 2006. During the summer after the win, he brought the cup back to Kamloops for a day to celebrate. Many Kamloops fans will remember the 2011 playoffs where the Boston Bruins met the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final. Although most of Kamloops was rooting for the Canucks, hometown Mark Recchi was a member of the Bruins at this point in his career. In that final series, Recchi scored a goal, making him the oldest player to score in the Stanley Cup Final. As many will remember, Boston was victorious in game 7, and after winning his third Stanley Cup, Mark announced he would retire from his NHL career. Probably fitting, as at this point Mark was older than the Vancouver Canucks organization (Kurylo, 2011). Once his playing career wrapped up, he became a part owner of his hometown Blazers and also coached with numerous NHL teams up until 2022. He even went on to win 2 more Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, as a coach. Off the ice, Mark supports many charities and has given a lot to organizations such as Ronald McDonald house and Make-a-Wish. His name is now retired in the Hockey Hall of Fame, a very prestigious honour in hockey.
Dylan Armstrong
Dylan Armstrong is another athlete who resides in Kamloops and made it big as a professional athlete. He is most known for his performance at the Olympics in shot put, and for being one of the first Canadians to get a medal during a throwing event in a significant global competition. One of Dylan’s first notable accomplishments was during the Pan American Junior Games in 1999 when he won a gold medal for the shot put. He returned in 2007 and 2011 to the Pan American Games and in addition to winning gold both times, he managed to achieve a shot put national record. His biggest victory by far was during the 2008 Olympic summer games. Dylan technically won 4th place, but because one of the competitors got disqualified, he was bumped up to 3rd place and took home a bronze medal for Canada. He received a medal ceremony in the Tournament Capital Centre gym in February of 2015 where he was awarded his bronze medal. Currently, he lives in Kamloops with his wife, Yevgeniya Kolodko, who also participated in the shot put. Because of his extensive knowledge of the sport, in 2013 he began coaching shot put and also works with para-athletes at Kamloops Track and Field Club. During numerous interviews, he has stated his immense passion for the sport and how coaching is a way for him to pass on what he has learned to other people. His dedication to the sport and multiple achievements are what make him one of the most notable athletes in Kamloops.
Basketball player Kelly Olynyk is one of the most successful athletes to have grown up in Kamloops. Although he was born in Toronto, Kelly grew up in Kamloops and completed high school at South Kamloops Secondary. Kelly dreamed of playing in the NBA since he was seven. However, Kelly wasn’t just dreaming big, he was a part of the Steve Nash Youth Basketball Program, where many young basketball players could pursue their love for the sport. The Steve Nash program is for youth ages 5-13, which allows them to learn skills and provides support for other aspiring players like Kelly. The 6 ’11 teenager played for both the South Kam Titans basketball and football team, where he flourished, earning MVP in many tournaments. Kelly then left Kamloops to follow his dreams by moving to Washington, where he played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. In his third season playing for Gonzaga, Kelly chose to red-shirt (not play for a year) to work on his physical ability and skills. When Kelly returned for his final season, he led his team to their first-ever number one national ranking. During his college basketball career, he averaged nearly 18 points per game and was named the West Coast Conference player of the year, and received the NCAA All-American honour in 2013. On June 27, 2013, Kelly’s dreams of being in the NBA came true. He was drafted 13th overall by the Dallas Mavericks but was quickly traded to the Boston Celtics where he signed for his rookie year. Olynyk had made history and inspired so many young Canadians. Kelly was the highest NBA-drafted player in the university’s history. On July 7, Kelly played his first pro game in the NBA summer league, where he amazed his teammates and audience by scoring 25 points in just 26 minutes. On December 5th, 2022, Gonzaga honoured him by retiring his jersey. He is one of only four players to have ever had their jerseys retired by the university, showing just how talented he was. Kelly now plays his 9th season in the NBA as #41 for the Utah Jazz. He is a power forward and averages 13 points per game. Kelly is an advocate for youth basketball programs and continues to spread his legacy to many other small-town youths with big dreams. You can even find him coaching basketball camps in the TRU gym in the summer!
Kelly Olynyk
References
Blazer Hockey. (n.d.). Ownership. Post. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://blazerhockey.com/ownership
hockeydb.com. (n.d.). Mark Recchi. hockey DB. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4478
Kurylo, J. (2017, July 11). Seven things about Mark Recchi. The Hockey Writers. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://thehockeywriters.com/seven-things-about-mark-recchi/
Landry, L. (2022, December 6). Kamloops-grown NBA star has university number retired. INFOnews. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-grown-nba-star-has-university-number-retired/it95590
NHL.com. (n.d.). Mark Recchi stats and news. NHL.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.nhl.com/player/mark-recchi-8450725
ViaSport BC. (n.d.). Celebrating B.C. coaches: Dylan Armstrong. viaSport. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.viasport.ca/news/celebrating-bc-coaches-dylan-armstrong
ViaSport BC. (n.d.). Kelly Olynyk rises through BC ranks to achieve NBA dream. viaSport. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.viasport.ca/News/Kelly-Olynyk-rises-through-BC-ranks-to-achieve-NBA-dreamWikimedia Foundation. (2023, January 16). Dylan Armstrong. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylan_Armstrong
