John Korobanik

Visionary John Korobanik

It's not surprising if you've never heard of Ernie Gare; the man behind innovations that paved the way for many Canadians to pursue their athletic dreams without sacrificing education cared more about the future of the athletes and the sports than garnering fame for himself.

Without Gare and his drive to create the scholarship program, the world may not have seen Nancy Greene win an Olympic gold medal, or the Crazy Canucks take Canada to the top of the ski racing world. Without Gare's collaboration with Bob Nicholson, the Program of Excellence might never have been created to help keep Canada one of the top hockey nations in the world.

This is the story of the man who changed the future of Canadian winter sports.