Almost a year after leading Canada’s National Women’s Team to Olympic gold on home ice, the accolades continue to pour in for Hockey Canada’s very own Melody Davidson.
Davidson, currently the head scout of women’s national team programs and a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team, will be inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame this spring.
The Canadian Olympic Committee announced this year’s five inductees Tuesday, February 8, with Davidson being called to the Hall along with cycling builder Marc Lemay, bobsledder David MacEachern, swimmer Curtis Myden and figure skater Elvis Stojko, who are all described as “legendary Olympic figures.”
Davidson has been an influential force within the women’s hockey world for more than three decades, from coaching her younger brother’s team while growing up in Oyen, Alta., to coaching Canada to three Olympic gold medals.
She served as assistant coach at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, where Canada won its first-ever gold, and took the reins as head coach at both the 2006 Olympics in Torino and the 2010 Games in Vancouver, where Canada successfully defended its title as the best women’s hockey team in the world.
“Davidson is globally admired for her dedication to the women’s game, her core belief in values and her leadership,” the COC described in a news release. Davidson is also the only person to be named to the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity’s most influential women list for five straight years, an accomplishment announced just last month.
“I am both honoured and humbled to be regarded so highly by the Canadian Olympic Committee, alongside my amazing fellow inductees,” Davidson said. “This is an unexpected thrill that should be shared with women’s hockey supporters and fans across the country.”
Since Canada’s double hockey gold at Vancouver 2010, a celebration also shared with ecstatic fans across the country, Davidson has received several prestigious recognitions, including the 2010 Petro Canada Coaching Excellence Award from the Coaching Association of Canada, the 2010 C. Vivian Stringer Coaching Award from the United States Sports Academy and the 2010 Jack Donohue Coach of the Year Award from Coaches of Canada. The University of Alberta also named Davidson a 2010 Distinguished Alumni.
This year’s Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Gala Dinner and Induction Ceremony are set for Saturday, April 16 in Moncton, N.B. It will cap off a week of festivities and feature a full artistic program, the details of which will be revealed at a later date, according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
“The Vancouver Games ignited Olympic spirit and passion all across Canada,” said COC president Marcel Aubut. “The Hall of Fame is the COC’s most prestigious event, and we are thrilled to share this incredible experience with the gracious people of Moncton, as we recognize this truly outstanding class of Hall of Fame inductees.”
About the Canadian Olympic Committee:
The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit organization committed to sport
excellence. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic Movement, including
Canada's participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the
Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. First recognized by the International
Olympic Committee in 1907, the COC has evolved into a multi-faceted sport organization providing financial
support, services and leadership to the Canadian amateur high performance sport community.