Abdulhamid Ibrahim/CBC Sports
100 moments for 100 years, and the peak moment winner was Kerrin Lee-Gartner and her gold-medal win at the 1992 Winter Olympics in the women's downhill ski event.
In celebration of Alpine Canada's century-long existence, 100 peak moments were named in a buildup to Wednesday, where the top five moments voted by fans were revealed by CBC Sports. The top moment was announced via live stream by current Canadian skiier Reece Howden.
Lee-Gartner's moment not only made her the only Canadian to ever win the event, but also the only one to win from a non-German speaking country — with the split between first and fifth place being 0.08, it was the closest race in Olympic history.
"I really do believe that me wearing Nancy Greene's [medals] and being inspired by everyone that came before me is the message of my medal," Lee-Gartner said. "Yeah, I raced that race and that was my dream but my medal is more about everybody else's dream. What can they do now?
"Normally, [my medal is] at [the] Canada Sports Hall of Fame on display, and right now I have it here at the house but I want kids to wear it, adults to wear it, and to me, it represents dreaming anything you want."
The show kicked off with Alpine Canada CEO Therese Brisson, a former Olympic champion in ice hockey, who spoke briefly about the sporting progress the organization, and country, has made.
"We're just so proud to celebrate Canada's rich history and tradition and skii racing excellence," Brisson said. "So many great moments that we've been able to celebrate over the past year, as we truthfully carve our path for the next century. It's been a really wonderful time to celebrate and engage Canadians in a really meaningful way."
Prior to the reveal, all five moments were announced as the athletes themselves were brought on to join CBC Sports' Scott Russell and Nancy Greene Raine — a former Olympic champion alpine skier.
Other top moments
Viviane Forest's dominant debut at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics was one for the history books. She won a medal in all five of the races she participated in, capturing one gold medal, three silver and one bronze. She is also the only Canadian female to win gold medals in both the summer and winter Paralympics, having won gold in goalball.
Chris Williamson, also in para alpine, is one of Canada's best. He is a four-time Paralympian dating back to his gold medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Paralympics, but made one last landing on the podium with a bronze at the 2014 Sochi Games in the slalom.
Marie-Michèle Gagnon ends 5-year podium drought with super-G bronze in Garmisch
Canada's Marielle Thompson earns 45th World Cup ski cross podium
The 'Crazy Canucks' featuring Jim Hunter, Ken Read, Dave Irwin, Steve Podborski and Dave Murray changed the landscape of Canadian alpine skiing with their fearless style in the 1970's and 80's. With their collective dominance in the sport, they made a name for Canadians in alpine.
The 'Dirt Squirrels' featuring Brady Leman, Kelsey Serwa Rey and Brittany Phelan made their mark on the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games. Leman, in his third Olympics and overcoming injury, won his event — Canada's first men's ski cross Olympic gold. Serwa won gold leading Canada's second straight 1-2 finish in women's ski cross, sharing the podium with silver medallist and best friend Phelan.
Looking to the future, Canadians such as Jack Crawford, Brodie Sieger and Broderick Thompson all could potentially run with the opportunity to carve that path to carrying the legacy left before them in Canadian alpine skiing.
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