Raphael Gaanan, who attended Burnaby South, is a two-time senior national judo champion and also has a junior national championship to his credit.

Internationally, he has participated in the 2022 Cadet World Championships and 2022 Pan-Am championships while on the national scene, he has competed in the Toronto Seniors, the Open Nationals for U21 and the national seniors.

In January, he took silver at the Canadian elite senior nationals in Edmonton.

A graduate of Moscrop Secondary, Michelle Roche excelled on the baseball mound in an elite boys’ loop, the British Columbia Junior Premier Baseball League has seen many players move on to play at universities and colleges across the continent, and even a few reach the major leagues.

In 2022, playing for the Whalley Chiefs, Roche had a stellar 2.73 earned run average in 53 & 2/3 innings over 12 appearances in the BCJPBL. Roche had a won-loss record of 8-2 with 36 strikeouts and only eight walks. She was also invited by MLB to an elite U19 women’s camp in Orlando.

The synergy of a group of girls getting to know each other in 2006 evolved into a national soccer championship two years later.

Cliff Avenue United, a storied minor soccer program in North Burnaby, didn’t have a team in the under-12 category so the call was made to prospective players to start a team. They gathered together for the first time in a meeting room at Burnaby 8-Rinks. The first order of business was choosing a name and since they’d come from many different places for one common purpose they decided Synergy perfectly described what they would have to have to become champions.

To begin with they had many wins, but they also had some losses learning a lot of lessons along the way that would pay off in the future.

Boy did they ever. Their second season together was something to behold. Synergy simply ran roughshod over all comers from coast to coast in going unbeaten in the 32 games they played that season.

In 19 games on the local soccer scene the only blemish on their record was one draw. They breezed through the Coastal Cup A Championships winning all four of their games and another four at the Provincial Cup Championship.

That enabled the Synergy, coached by Mark Pennington and Tony Drescher, to advance to the Canadian U14 youth championships in Prince Edward Island Oct. 5-13, 2008. In their three round-robin games, Cliff Avenue outscored its opposition 16-0 before edging Ontario 3-2 in a semifinal and Quebec 3-1 in the final.

“In our national championship winning season, our biggest challenge was probably the fact that we were a relatively newly formed team with many of the players playing their first season together,” Pennington tells the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

“I believe that there were a few things that made this team special, but if I was to highlight one thing in particular it would be the team’s close bond and desire to fight for each other. I think our team name of ‘Synergy’ was very fitting because I believe that we were definitely stronger than the sum of all our individual parts.”

Pennington credits a game earlier in the season and a rivalry with another team as being instrumental in Synergy’s growth and success.

“We played a strong Surrey United team in the middle of the season, and we found ourselves 2-0 down at half and didn’t really look into the game. The players clubbed together in the second half to come back to win 3-2, including a player scoring by sacrificing (herself) to be cleaned out by the goalkeeper showing true heart and getting a broken nose in the process,” recalls Pennington, who now coaches the women’s soccer team at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

Several players from the team eventually played on varsity post-secondary teams including Samantha Drescher, Tamara Roughead, Simran Parmar and Shayla Chorney for UBC and  Isabella Di Trocchio and Lindsey Pulice at Trinity Western. In addition, after playing for University of the Fraser Valley, goaltender Kayla Klim went on to play professionally in Sweden.

Pennington singles out a couple players and his assistant coach for being the team’s unsung heroes.

“First Samantha Lung. Sam was a pivotal player on this team as a defensive midfielder. She often flew under the radar and didn’t get any of the glory, but this team relied a lot on Sam to win the ball. Sam played a vital role in the success of this team,” says Pennington.

“Second Simran Parmar. Simran was one of the team captains. At nationals Simran hurt her wrist in the semifinals. Knowing that her chances of playing in the final if it was broken were very slim, she didn’t say anything, and even spent a some of the night in pain in the hallway of the hotel the night before the final so she didn’t disturb her roommate. She led the team to victory in the final. A true leader. 

“Finally, the mastermind behind the creation of the team, and assistant coach, Tony Drescher. It was Tony’s vision to create this team. Tony went out and found a coach. He secured sponsorship and funding to allow all the players’ travel expenses to the nationals to be covered.”

Fuji Miki’s first introduction to curling was in Midway, a border town in the West Kootenays, when his family was interned during the Second World War. At the war’s conclusion he moved to South Burnaby where he resided for 50 years.

After a successful playing career, in which he played lead for BC men’s champion Glen Pierce in 1979, and second for Pierce when they won the Canadian mixed championship in 1982, Miki took up coaching. One of his first coaching successes was to guide a junior men’s team that included his son Bryan (a 2017 Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame honoured member) at second and Pierce’s son Brent at skip to a 1987 provincial championship.

That year he came into contact with the Japanese Olympic committee at a curling clinic during the world championship in Vancouver. Miki eventually coached Japanese women’s teams for 16 years through four Olympics (Salt Lake City, Torino, Vancouver and Sochi). Miki would reside in Japan during the curling season helping to build a program that has become a force in international curling, especially on the women’s side.

He would also coach Japanese men’s teams when they came to Canada to compete on the cashspiel circuit. During their stays, the teams would frequently be based at Miki’s home club, the Royal City Curling Club in New Westminster. Even after his international coaching career concluded, Miki continued to coach at Royal City and even coached his grandson, Joshua, at the 2022 Canadian Junior Curling Championship.

Don Taylor was a big booster of Burnaby and he’s never hesitated to let the world know it.

The British Columbia sports broadcasting icon is the Hall’s first media member to be inducted. This honour follows on the heels of him recently being chosen for induction to the BC Sports Hall of Fame’s media wing.

The 37-year resident of Burnaby first gained notoriety in the Vancouver sports market with his entertaining nightly co-hosting of CKVU’s Sports Page from 1985 to 2000. His highlight packages with his funny phrases were a must-see and hear for local sports fans every night. Who can forget Taylorism like “the mesh ripples,” and “the top shelf where mom keeps the peanut butter?” 

He loves to use the phrases made famous by legendary Montreal Canadiens play-by-play broadcaster Danny Gallivan like “it was a scintillating save” or a “Savardian spinarama.” His mimic of former Maple Leaf Gardens public address announcer Paul Morris is spot on to Canadians of a certain vintage.

After the demise of Sports Page, Taylor did a brief stint at CKNW radio before returning to television hosting Sportsnet Pacific’s nightly round-up program, Sportsnet Connected, from 2001 until August 2014. During his tenure there, starting in 2003, he hooked up before his Sportsnet shift with co-host David Pratt for an afternoon drive show on TSN1040 Radio until 2011. After Pratt left the station, Taylor continued with the show with Barry Macdonald and Bob (The Moj) Marjanovich as his co-hosts until Bell Media pulled the plug on the station Feb. 9, 2021. Since April 2021, Taylor and fellow sports broadcaster Rick Dhaliwal have co-hosted a two-hour sports show, Donnie and Dhali – The Team, weekday mornings on CHEK-TV. His voice can also be heard on NHL video games produced by Burnaby-based Electronic Arts.

But no matter what local or national broadcasting outlet he is employed by, Taylor never passes up an opportunity to highlight his Burnaby roots or mention a Burnaby connection to any player or team he’s talking about. It’s where he grew up in a family of four boys. It’s where he attended Capitol Hill elementary and Alpha secondary. It’s where he played minor hockey, ball hockey and, of course, lacrosse for Norburn something every boy from Burnaby did back in the day. It’s where he would debate and rant about sports over a pint at the old Mountain Shadow Inn neighbourhood pub where he claimed he lived part-time. It’s where the genesis of his love of sports began, even if that love contains heartache.

“I want to see a Canucks Stanley Cup win before it’s over for me. That’s big,” Taylor told Postmedia reporter Steve Ewen upon the announcement of his induction to the BC Sports Hall of Fame. “I honestly think I would cry so much that day that I wouldn’t be able to talk to anybody.

“For me, it’s not just the National Hockey League Canucks. My first memory of hockey was seeing the (minor league WHL) Canucks play at the old PNE Forum in the 1960s, before the Pacific Coliseum was built and they were a farm team. The first player that I focused on was Tony Esposito, who was in the Montreal Canadiens organization then. I remember my dad telling me about how he was Phil Esposito’s little brother and how he was well on his way to the NHL himself.”

He would sign off each cast by declaring ‘You’re up to date on the world of sports” while doing a signature full of flair on his script. Now you’re up to date on Don Taylor’s world of sports in Burnaby.

Lui Passaglia’s formative football years growing up and maturing into a professional were spent while residing in North Burnaby.

Passaglia’s family moved to Burnaby in 1968 when he was 14 years old. His parents sent him to school to the other side of Boundary Road to Notre Dame Secondary where he played football for the Jugglers juggernaut coached by the legendary George Oswald (a 2012 Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame inductee) and Al Blesch. Passaglia led Notre Dame to three provincial championships (1968, 1970 and 1971) playing quarterback, safety, punter and place kicker.

After graduation he headed up Burnaby Mountain to play for Simon Fraser University where he played wide receiver to go along with his kicking duties. He also played on SFU’s soccer team. Passaglia’s pigskin exploits caught the eye of the local Canadian Football League team and the BC Lions chose him fifth overall in the 1976 CFL draft. He even caught a 10-yard touchdown pass in his first CFL game, July 22, 1976 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

He remained living at home in Burnaby during his time at SFU and for the first four seasons with the Leos. A place to eat and sleep weren’t the only thing his parents provided him during those days.

“Their support is what allowed me to have a 25-year pro football career. We all shared in the ups and downs but no matter what they believed and stood by me,” Passaglia tells the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

And what a fabulous football career it was. 

All of Passaglia’s 25 CFL seasons were with the Lions. No one has played more CFL games than Passaglia’s 408, and no one has scored more points, 3,991, than Passaglia. He also holds CFL career records for most converts, 1,045 (he only missed three in his career), most field goals, 875, and best single season field goal percentage, 90.9 per cent in 2000 (his final season). 

Some of those records — games played, points and field goals — are not only CFL career records but also unsurpassed professional football marks, including the NFL.

Additionally, Passaglia’s punting prowess (3,142 punts for 133,826 yards) is second all-time only to Winnipeg’s Bob Cameron, with 3,142 punts for 133,826 yards. Passaglia also holds the record for most points in a season, 210, and is tied for most field goals in a season with 48. Passaglia was a CFL Western Division all-star nine times and a CFL all-star four times. 

Most importantly, he was a member of three Grey Cup championships for the Lions (1985, 1994 and 2000). Passaglia retired after kicking the winning points in the Lions’ 28-26 victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the 2000 Grey Cup. He also kicked the winning field goal on the last play of the 1994 Grey Cup when BC beat Baltimore 26-23 at BC Place. In 2007, the Lions named in the greatest play in the club’s history.

His storied gridiron exploits led him to induction into the BC Lions Wall of Fame, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the BC Sports Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame prior to being inducted into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.

But it’s not the hardware, accolades and many lines in the CFL record book he remembers and cherishes the most.

“It would be the friendships I made through sports and being apart of the team championships in soccer (Sun Tournament of Champions and the 1973 Canada Summer Games in Burnaby), basketball (BC Junior high school championship) and football (BC high school and the Grey Cups ),” says Passaglia.

He’s been fortunate to have played for many coaches including CFL legends like Cal Murphy, Vic Rapp, Don Matthews, Bob O’Billovich, Dave Ritchie and Adam Rita. But he singles out a local legend that came before all of them for him.

“It is hard to pick out one but … There is one shout out though to George Oswald who coached me at Notre Dame High School who gave me many rides to and from practices/games. (He lived in North Burnaby too). I have never forgotten his generosity and his belief in me,” says Passaglia.

He harkens back to those early days in Burnaby when giving advice to young athletes.

“Step outside your home and go play. Have fun with your friends!” Passaglia preaches. “It’s what I looked forward to every day as a kid and it led me to football.”

The math wasn’t good for Mike Santorelli. There’s a study that’s determined the odds of going from minor hockey to a steady NHL paycheque is about one in 4,000. That didn’t deter Santorelli. The centre went from playing puck for both Burnaby Minor and Burnaby Winter Club to Junior A in the BC Hockey League with Langley and Vernon (43 goals, 96 points in 60 games) to three seasons at Northern Michigan University (110 points in 121 games). He played so well the Nashville Predators took note and took him in the sixth round, 178th overall, of the 2004 NHL entry draft. But once again the math wasn’t good. Better, but still not good because only 15 per cent of sixth-round draft choices get to play 100 more games in the NHL.

But Santorelli beat the odds and the math improved thanks to plenty of perseverance. After spending a couple of seasons in the American Hockey League, Santorelli went on to play 406 regular season games for six NHL teams (Nashville, Florida, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto and Anaheim) scoring 64 goals and 138 points. In his one season with the Canucks he became a fan favourite netting 10 goals and 28 points in 49 games before getting injured and missing the rest of the season.

“As a child I always had aspirations and believed I would play in the National Hockey League,” Santorelli tells the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame. “As my amateur hockey career progressed, the reality of playing in the NHL was always in the back of my mind and started to become more realistic as I continued to excel at each level I played at. 

“Excelling at the Nashville Predators development camp (in 2004) amongst other prospects made me realize, I had the potential to play in the National Hockey League one day.”

Along with the many coaches who mentored him, Santorelli credits his family — including his parents, uncles, aunts, godparents and sister Christina — in playing a significant role in shaping his hockey career which he is “forever grateful” for.

“Their belief, push and guidance gave me the confidence to push myself and strive for excellence and without them my dream of playing in the National Hockey League would not have been possible,” says Santorelli. “Hockey is a journey filled with triumphs and challenges and without their constant encouragement, reassurance and always being there to help me get through the tough times, I would not have excelled as a person or as an athlete.”

That list can also include his younger brother Mike, who the Predators picked in the fourth round of the 2007 draft which allowed them to play together for Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

“We accomplished a lot together,” says Santorelli. “They say the last step to your goal is always the hardest and without Mark by my side in Milwaukee none of this would have been possible. 

Hockey has given him plenty of memorable moments to cherish, especially ones he shared with his family. They were there in Raleigh, N.C., when he was picked by the Predators at the NHL draft. They were there, too, when he played his first game against the Canucks in Vancouver. His father, who grew up a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, got to be there for the team’s annual fathers trip “an experience we will both never forget.” And they were there when he played for the Canucks.

“As a kid my goal was to play for the Vancouver Canucks and to wear the hometown jersey. I will always look back on my career and remember playing in my hometown and sharing these experiences with my family and friends,” said Santorelli, who was signed after his stint with the Canucks by Toronto general manager Dave Nonis, a Burnaby boy inducted into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 but who traded Santorelli back to Nashville later that season.

Santorelli’s story of perseverance is an inspiration to any kid who has a puck passion, or for any sport or activity.

“Your aspirations in life are attainable if you believe, have an extreme passion to excel and a relentless pursuit to perfect your abilities. It takes an unwavering obsession, commitment, a constant drive to push your boundaries and an endless pursuit of self-excellence to achieve your ultimate successes. It’s a process, so enjoy being in the moment and the journey will take care of itself.”