Former Canuck Gino Odjick's plaque unveiled at BC Sports Hall of Fame

One of the most recognizable and beloved athletes in the history of British Columbia has officially taken his place amongst the province’s all-time sporting greats – and he did it as honoured dignitaries chanted his name.

Gino Odjick is a member of the 2021 class of inductees to the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

He received the honour virtually with a video message last year, but on Wednesday the hall inducted the 2021 and 2022 classes at the first in-person ceremony in three years.

“I feel very privileged. It’s an honour and my family’s really proud and so am I,” Odjick said.

As he made his way to the stage after unveiling his plaque, those in attendance began chanting “Gino, Gino, Gino.”

The chant dates back to his first National Hockey League game with the Vancouver Canucks, when the rookie took on then-NHL heavyweights Dave Manson and Stu Grimson in separate fights.

The crowd roared in approval and chanted Odjick’s name as he left the ice that night in November 1990, in a moment that Odjick will never forget.

“When you’re young, you always dream about playing in the NHL and for my dream to come true was just unbelievable,” Odjick said. “You’re not supposed to make it when you’re from a small First Nations community.”

Born in Maniwaki, Que., Odjick grew up playing hockey on outdoor rinks on the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.

He would go on to become one of the most feared players to ever lace up a pair of skates in the National Hockey league – but away from the ice, Odjick has always been a gentle giant who uses his platform to inspire generations of Indigenous youth to pursue education.

“I know sports is a big part of their lives, but you don’t play sports forever,” he said. “I retired when I was 32. You’ve got a long ways to go after that so it’s really important to get an education.”

Long-time friend Peter Leech, also a retired hockey pro, often joins Odjick when visiting reserves to speak with kids.

“That’s what it’s always been about,” Leech said at the induction ceremony. “You know, if he can do it many other First Nations Indigenous kids can do it as well.”

More than just an enforcer, Odjick had a soft touch around the net, which he used to score 64 NHL goals.

Before taking over as the team’s head coach, it was then-Canucks general manager Pat Quinn who used the 86th pick of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft to select Odjick.

The two men are now enshrined with side-by-side plaques in the hall of fame.

“I think it’s so poetic that his plaque is next to that of the late, great Irishman Pat Quinn,” said Tom Mayenknecht, the hall’s chair. “As head coach, he knew how important Gino Odjick was to those mid-‘90s Vancouver Canucks.”

Being next to one of his mentors means a lot to Odjick.

“It was nice to see I’m right by Pat,” he said. “He was a big part of my life so a really proud moment.”

Now that he’s been inducted into the hall of fame, his friends and fans would like to see the Canucks enshrine his name in the team’s Ring of Honour at Rogers Arena.

“He would be forever immortalized for every Indigenous person to look up there and say, ‘Yes, I’m playing in the house that Gino Odjick played in,’” said Leech.

If Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini ever makes that happen, expect the roar of 18,910 hockey fans chanting Odjick’s name to reverberate around the arena.