Bigger Canadian icon - Wayne Gretzky or Terry Fox?

[psycat]

to this point, and i know it's not something that gets talked about a lot on hfboards, but uh, half the people in the world are women, and the women i know definitely care more about terry fox than they do about wayne gretzky.

Women(in general) on this side of the pond doesn't have the slighest clue who Terry Fox is. Not that men do either of course, I actually had to look it up. Meanwhile if you say hockey just about anybody can name Gretzky(even if nothing else). Think that settles the debate. If you ask who is more liked in Canada I got no idea however being an icon is something different.

 

[reckoning]

Belfour's inclusion on the list is probably just due to his being the best Leaf at the time. 10 years earlier, it would've been Gilmour.

Not that I put any worth in that poll. That whole CBC special where they revealed the list was embarrassing. Every top 10 finalist had a "celebrity advocate" promoting them, and the whole show degenerated into partisan bickering.

Personally, I voted for Frederick Banting. But I would've been fine with Terry Fox winning it.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Gretzky himself most likely would say Fox.

Gretzky..............although Gretzky would probably say Fox.

tbh i think any canadian of a certain age would say terry fox over her/himself.

 

[FerrisRox]

I thought this would be an interesting question and I can't personally decide. Wayne needs no introduction, but Terry Fox literally symbolized a life vs. death struggle and is maybe the closest to a "Rocky" figure that's ever lived.

For me, Wayne Gretzky is a bigger Canadian icon, but Terry Fox is a bigger Canadian hero.

 

[FerrisRox]

I'm Canadian and I have absolutely no idea who Terry Fox is so Gretzky for me.

You have no idea who Terry Fox is?

How is that possible? How old are you? Are you home schooled?

 

[FerrisRox]

I doubt it. It's a situation where the vast majority know each of them, so any difference is likely negligible. I definitely know relatively new citizens who do not know Fox but do know Gretzky, at least by name. Anecdotal obviously.

If you go to a public school today, every single child in that school knows who Terry Fox is, know what he represents, know his story in detail. A small fraction of those children know who Wayne Gretzky is.

Terry Fox's legend continues to grow and his story, and his mission is part of the curriculum. Not true for Wayne Gretzky who fades further and further out of public consciousness.

Hockey fans know who Wayne Gretzky is, but at certain age, he becomes another name in a record book. There's a few generations of kids that have grown up now without seeing Wayne Gretzky on commercials, on magazine covers and hosting Saturday Night Live. But all of those kids know Terry Fox.

 

[JackSlater]

If you go to a public school today, every single child in that school knows who Terry Fox is, know what he represents, know his story in detail. A small fraction of those children know who Wayne Gretzky is.

Terry Fox's legend continues to grow and his story, and his mission is part of the curriculum. Not true for Wayne Gretzky who fades further and further out of public consciousness.

Hockey fans know who Wayne Gretzky is, but at certain age, he becomes another name in a record book. There's a few generations of kids that have grown up now without seeing Wayne Gretzky on commercials, on magazine covers and hosting Saturday Night Live. But all of those kids know Terry Fox.

You can claim that I guess. I know for a fact that not every student in public school knows who Terry Fox is, and I highly doubt that Gretzky is the one becoming just a name in a book, but it would be a nice narrative.

 

[FerrisRox]

You can claim that I guess. I know for a fact that not every student in public school knows who Terry Fox is, and I highly doubt that Gretzky is the one becoming just a name in a book, but it would be a nice narrative.

How on earth does every student in public school not know who Terry Fox is? He's part of the curriculum and schools do Terry Fox fundraisers every single year.

 

[JackSlater]

How on earth does every student in public school not know who Terry Fox is? He's part of the curriculum and schools do Terry Fox fundraisers every single year.

It may be a provincial thing given different curricula or just poor enforcement, I don't know. I also don't think that every school here does a Terry Fox fundraiser. My school didn't and certainly the kid I was speaking about didn't. It would be good if more people did the fundraiser.

 

[FerrisRox]

It may be a provincial thing given different curricula or just poor enforcement, I don't know. I also don't think that every school here does a Terry Fox fundraiser. My school didn't and certainly the kid I was speaking about didn't. It would be good if more people did the fundraiser.

What province are you in?

 

[JackSlater]

What province are you in?

Nova Scotia.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Kids also don’t exactly absorb everything they talk about in school. I knew enough kids whod take a whole year of history lessons about WW2 and could barely tell you a thing about it afterwards.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Surprised there are Canadians that don't know Terry.

Even if they have only been here for a short time from India or something

 

[Tuna Tatarrrrrr]

You have no idea who Terry Fox is?

How is that possible? How old are you? Are you home schooled?

I was born in the 80's and no I wasn't home schooled but as I said in a previous post, here in Quebec we don't learn about who Terry Fox is in every school apparently.

I didn't question the importance that Terry Fox had but here we know more about Maurice "Rocket" Richard and his impact on the Quebec and French Canadians than Terry Fox.

 

[sr edler]

For me, Wayne Gretzky is a bigger Canadian icon, but Terry Fox is a bigger Canadian hero.

Yes, but a lot of everyday people are probably bigger heroes than Gretzky if we're just speaking about his profession. There's really nothing heroic about being a hockey player, but if you're a surgeon at least you're saving peoples lives.

Kids also don’t exactly absorb everything they talk about in school. I knew enough kids whod take a whole year of history lessons about WW2 and could barely tell you a thing about it afterwards.

Yes, I thought about typing this earlier in the thread.

 

[Eisen]

You have no idea who Terry Fox is?

How is that possible? How old are you? Are you home schooled?

No criticism, but you learn about athletes in school? That has an odd ring to a German.

 

[Killion]

Yes, but a lot of everyday people are probably bigger heroes than Gretzky if we're just speaking about his profession. There's really nothing heroic about being a hockey player, but if you're a surgeon at least you're saving peoples lives.

For a great many boys, their "Hero's" as kids were their Dads. Certainly the case during my formative years & really ever after. I never really "idolized" any of the hockey players during the twilight years of the so called "Golden Era" of the NHL post WW2 through to 67 though sure, did admire a great many, most in fact if not all. Minor Pro's, Seniors, Juniors etc. Guys one played with, against.

Do recall admiring (though never idolizing) athletes from other fields equally, Canadians mainly as thats where I was brought up, track star Bruce Kidd, football player Dick Shatto (American born, from the University of Kentucky Wildcats I seem to recall), Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams & plenty of other ballplayers. Distance swimmers. Boxers. Horses (Northern Dancer) & jockeys, owners (E.P. Taylor)....

Dont ever recall sports figures nor sports history ever being part of the curriculum though I do recall teachers talking about the accomplishments of people like Marilyn Bell (distance swimmer), the aforementioned Bruce Kidd & other mostly elite amateur athletes. Pro sports & players, that discussion all confined to the playgrounds, rinks, road hockey, baseball diamonds, fields....

What Terry Fox accomplished was absolutely mind.... blowing. I could barely watch it without the tears welling up. Still just thinking about it... lonely stretch of highway in the middle of nowhere, one leg... anyone who's ever done any serious distance running... well, my God. Knowing that his chances of living through it let alone long very slim indeed well.... what can you say?

It was beyond heroic & really opened peoples eyes to the insidious creep of Cancer that until then was itself on the march rather quietly. And in the years that have followed continues to claim far far too many lives. The older we get, the more people we know who's lives have either been touched by or ended by the disease. Its just everywhere. Some of us its touched personally or likely will.... So yes, to me Terry's life, what he accomplished, transcendent of Sport, well beyond. Were talking Sainthood. Totally selfless. What he did to open peoples eyes to the abilities of those with handicaps & or Cancer.... well..... words fail. Beyond an Icon.

 

[FerrisRox]

No criticism, but you learn about athletes in school? That has an odd ring to a German.

No, we learn about Canadian heroes in school. It had very little to do with his athletic endeavours and everything to do with the Marathon of Hope and his cancer advocacy.

 

[tarheelhockey]

These threads are always good for revealing how narrowly we perceive the rest of the world. "Half the people in the world are women, and the women I know are more interested in Fox, therefore Fox is more relevant worldwide" could win an award for Best Fallacy.

 

[Killion]

No, we learn about Canadian heroes in school. It had very little to do with his athletic endeavours and everything to do with the Marathon of Hope and his cancer advocacy.

Right. Be it William Lyon McKenzie, Sir John Eh.... Billy Bishop or whomever while on the sports side, individuals who have overcome adversities (Longboat etc) in most cases & or made contributions that in some way resulted in the betterment of society as a whole, benevolence, sacrifice perhaps.... It does vary from region-region, provincially as others have noted.

 

[FerrisRox]

It does vary from region-region, provincially as others have noted.

I'm very surprised to hear that in Quebec, he is not part of the curriculum and his legacy isn't honoured.

I know my own child this year was part of the Terry Fox School Run that was held back in September which is put on by the Terry Fox Foundation and I know that millions of school children from coast to coast were involved.

In a country our size, I assumed "millions" pretty much covered the entire gamut of elelmentary school children in the nation.

 

[McRpro]

Fun Fact: I grew up around the Thunder Bay area(where his run stopped, and a statue was erected). When I was a little kid I used to call him Terry The Fox. Hehe

...ok that wasn't very fun.

 

[The Panther]

I'm very surprised to hear that in Quebec, he is not part of the curriculum and his legacy isn't honoured.

I was very surprised to hear that, too.

Are there any other Quebecers out there, born maybe after 1973 or so, who can confirm or deny this?

 

[The Panther]

Fun Fact: I grew up around the Thunder Bay area(where his run stopped, and a statue was erected). When I was a little kid I used to call him Terry The Fox. Hehe

...ok that wasn't very fun.

There's a photo of me beside that statue in 1982, when I was six. I think it's a beautiful monument.


Here it is, FYI:

 

[streitz]