Canada’s Walk of Fame just got a little longer, seven stars to be exact. In a night that saw screaming fans, sparkling gowns, a charismatic host and humble inductees, the 2015 Canada’s Walk of Fame did not disappoint.
Jason Priestley hosted the ceremony, in Toronto Saturday, that saw singer Michael Buble, hockey commentators Ron Maclean and Don Cherry, Olympian Silken Laumann, author Lawrence Hill, actress Wendy Crewson and late actor Lorne Greene inducted.
Toronto’s own Shawn Mendes, 17, received the Allan Slaight award. The award is presented each year to young musicians making a positive impact in the industry.
Mendes says that it is an honour to receive this award and he thanked his fans saying that he’s not a cool kid but his fans, “make me seem cool.”
Mendes credited his family the most for making him who he is today.
“My family keeps me so humble, so thank you,” says Mendes.
As for the other inductees, they were just as humble as Mendes. Maclean and Cherry thanked fans for their support for the last 20 plus years that they have been working together on Hockey Night in Canada.
One thing that seemed to surprise a lot of people was the way that Cherry was dressed. The usually flamboyant Cherry wore a cream coloured suit but insisted it was because he wanted to give everybody else a chance at being fashionable. But with his jokes and his laughter shared with Maclean on stage, the audience could see that Don Cherry, was indeed still Don Cherry.
“As you can see, I’ve never turned professional,” says Cherry.
While many fans know that Cherry is known for his charisma, Maclean also proved that he is just as charismatic as Cherry.
After showing a video that highlighted Coach’s Corner and Cherry and Maclean, Maclean joked about how he seemed to talk more than he realized.
“I have so much to say because for 31 years I couldn’t say anything,” Maclean says. “But now after seeing that, maybe I talk too much.”
Buble talked at length about the overwhelming support of his friends, family and his fans but he said that that is just the country that we live in.
“We are 200 beautiful languages and six beautiful time zones, and we’re funny and dirty and kind and compassionate and subversive,” says Buble.
Crewson, Laumann, Hill and Greene’s daughter all thanked their fans for all of their support and said how proud they are to be Canadian.
With a Walk of Fame, that is located at King Street and Simcoe Street in Toronto and a lineup that already includes people like hockey star Wayne Gretzky, actor Ryan Reynolds, musician Bryan Adams, singer Celine Dion, actress Rachel McAdams, the late Terry Fox and more than 100 other inductees, this year’s recipients join a long line of proud Canadians.
As Buble put it, “We are everything.”
