Pictou County Sports Heritage Hall of Fame
340 East River Road B2H 3P7 New Glasgow, NS, Canada

Ted Stackhouse was the first Pictou County born player in the NHL, despite only playing 13 games him and Toronto won the Stanley Cup becoming the first Pictou County born player to win the Stanley Cup

Lee Ann Dalling is a New Glasgow born powerlifter who competed in the Bench Press. Lee Ann has malformation in her limbs as a result of Thalidomide. She is an 18 time world qualifier and competitor from 1994-2011, who competed in the able-bodied level. She is an 18 time canadian benchpress champion and was the World Master Champion in 2006. in the spring of 2012 she sustained a torn rotator cuff, possible labrum tear, and a type 2 acromain, ending her bench press career. Lee Ann was an inspiration, an accomplished athlete, and a class act in the sport.

Robert H. Dunbar was born in Pictou County. An all-round athlete who excelled in track and field, ice skating, and roller skating, Dunbar was introduced to curling after he moved to Winnipeg in the late 1870s. Dunbar perfected the forerunner of the sliding delivery, a lower profile release utilizing more leg drive and a short forward follow-through. He also departed from the basic draw game to concentrate on a take-out style that soon became a recognized staple of curling, becoming one of the pioneers of Canadian curling.

The Halifax & District baseball league operated from 1946-59. this league was said to have the best baseball in Canada outside of the AAA minor league teams in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver. This league produced over 40 MLB players, and two of the teams (Liverpool and Halifax Citadels) were unofficial farm teams for the Red Sox and Phillies. The Stellarton Albions joined this league in 1950, and in their second year, started a run that ended as three-peat champions of the H&D league. 2 of the people on this team; Gair Allie and Dick Groat made the major league, with Groat winning an MVP in 1906, beating out Willie Mays, Clemente, and Musial. with 6 total major leaguers coming from the Albions from 46-59

Before the Stanley Cup was a staple of the NHL as it is now, it was a challenge cup, almost any team could challenge for it. In 1906, the New Glasgow Cubs won the Maritime Hockey League, and challenged the defending champions, the Montreal Wanderers. The Cubs traveled to Montreal after not playing hockey for months as it was summer, and no synthetic ice was available to them, wheres as the Wanderers had access to synthetic ice over the summer. On Dec. 27th, and 29th they played two games. The Cubs fell 10-3, and 7-2, losing the series 17 goals to 5. At this time period the challengers of the cup were engraved on the top, and on the original Stanley Cup, New Glasgow is engraved.

Today we are going to talk about another Pictou County boxer. Leslie "Babe" Mason was the Canadian Light Weight Champion in 1956 and won the right to represent Canada in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Australia. Babe is the first Nova Scotian fighter to represent Canada in the Olympic Games. He lost his only fight in a close decision to the eventual bronze medal winner. In 1957 he won the Canadian Welter Weight Championship making him the first Nova Scotian to hold Multiple Canadian Titles.

Gair Allie was a MLB Shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954, this was his only year in the Majors and played in the Minors for the next 7 years. Before his Major League career started, the North Carolina born Allie came to the east coast and played a year for the Stellarton Albion in the Semi-Pro Halifax & District league. in 1951. He was then signed the next season by the Pirates and sent to their Minor League team

Basketball was created in 1891 at Springfield College by a man with the name of James Naismith. What some people might not realize, is that Naismith was actually Canadian, making Basketball a Canadian sport. Even more surprising is that there were 3 Nova Scotians in the first game, and 2 were from Pictou County. John G. Thompson and Finlay G. MacDonald were the two Pictou County born players in the first basketball game and team in the world.

Today we will take a look at one of the greatest unknown boxers of the 70's. From 1968 to 1976 the Pictou County born boxer Art "Toy Tiger" Hafey went 54-8-4, with 36 victories coming from knockout. Art was a 5'2" Featherweight who left Canada to go fight on the world stage. Art was the #1 Contender in the world but never got a title shot. For more on Art Hafey and other athletes come in to the Sports Hall of Fame open Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday from 10-3. 340 E River Rd, New Glasgow NS B2H 3P7