Every year we are fortunate to enjoy participation from our deep list of celebrity supporters. Last years Celebrities are listed below. Stay tuned as we conform those for our 40^th Anniversary celebration

2023 Celebrities include:

Peter Anthony

Peter is a Canadian Comedy Award Winner (“Breakout Artist” 2008) and nominee (“Best Male Standup” 2013). A proud native of Pictou, Nova Scotia, he has established himself as one of the most passionate comedians in the country, constantly pushing the envelope and developing his distinctive, hilarious point-of-view. Some of Peter’s credits include: Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival, CBC’s Halifax Comedy Festival, Toronto’s North by Northeast Festival, CBC Radio’s The Debaters and television appearances on The Comedy Network, MTV, and CTV's Comedy Now, as well as bringing the house down at past Gallivan tournaments. 

Jack Armstrong

Jack’s vast knowledge and passion is well known - and respected - throughout the basketball world, where he has spent his entire broadcast career focusing on the Toronto Raptors. Over the course of his 15+ years in broadcasting, Armstrong has become one of the most recognizable faces - and voices - in Canadian sports. Jack began coaching when he was 19 years old. He was an NCAA Division Coach for 14 years. He coached at Niagara University for 10 years, where he ranks 4th for all-time wins as head coach, and then at Fordham University for 4 years. He spent two years as a High School Coach at Nazareth High School in Brooklyn. In 1993, Armstrong was awarded with the NCAA New York State Division Coach of the Year and the MAAC Conference Coach of the Year. 

MATTHEW HIGHMORE

Matthew is a proud Haligonian and who is coming off a successful season in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks. Matthew was drafted into the QMJHL 8th overall 2012 to the Saint John Sea Dogs. He was named alternate captain of the club in 2014. After leading the team in points and assists in 2017, Matthew signed a contract with the Blackhawks. He was an AHL all-star in 2018. In 2020, Matthew played 36 games with Chicago before the Covid-19 shutdown. Matthew rejoined the club in the Edmonton bubble for that year’s unique and challenging NHL post-season. He was traded to Vancouver in 2021. Matthew is a rising star in the league and we are very pleased he is returning to the Gallivan this year.

PAUL MACLEAN

Born in Grostenquin, France, while his father was serving with the Canadian Armed Forces, Paul moved to Canada at the age of two and grew up in Antigonish. He played his college hockey at Dalhousie University, leading the team to a conference title in 1979. Paul was drafted in the NHL in 1980 by the St. Louis Blues. He enjoyed a successful decade-long career in the NHL where he was a prolific point scorer, including a 101 point season for the Winnipeg Jets in 1985. Paul then went into coaching and has served in a number of coaching and executive roles, including head coach of the Ottawa Senators from 2011 to 2014. He was named NHL coach of the year in 2013. Paul is currently a senior adviser with the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

MIKE McPHEE

A proud native of Cape Breton, Mike is a former NHLer. He began his professional career with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the American Hockey League, after being selected in the sixth-round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He began his NHL career with Montreal in 1984. McPhee was a member of Montreal's Stanley Cup winning team in 1986. His best NHL season came in 1987-88, with linemates Guy Carbonneau and Russ Courtnall, when he scored 23 goals and 43 points. The following season, he took part in the NHL All-Star Game.  He was also a three-time winner of the Jacques Beauchamp Trophy as the Montreal Canadiens’ unsung hero. Now based in Halifax, Mike is a successful investment advisor and volunteers with numerous organizations around the city. 

KEN REID

You can catch Ken alongside co-anchor, Evanka Osmak, weeknights on the Prime Time Edition of Sportsnet Central. Ken has covered just about everything during his 15 plus years in television, from the Olympics to the Stanley Cup finals, Grey Cups and the Super Bowl. Ken started his broadcasting career at Access Cable in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, followed by stops in Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton and finally Toronto. Ken is also a bestselling author. He is the author of the book One Night Only, which chronicles a series of interviews with players who played just one game in the NHL. Ken is a proud native of Pictou, Nova Scotia.

TROY RYAN

Troy is the head coach of the Dalhousie Women’s Hockey Team. The current head coach of Hockey Canada’s national women’s team and director of high performance for the Atlantic region, Ryan recently led Team Canada to a gold medal finish at the 2021 World Women's Hockey Championship. A Canadian Coaches Association certified Chartered Professional Coach (ChPC), he’s been working with the women’s national program since 2017, serving as an associate coach with the national women’s team and the head coach of the national development team in 2019. He was also an assistant coach with Canada’s silver medal-winning team at the 2018 PyeongChang, South Korea Olympic Winter Games. Troy has served in a number of coaching and scouting roles at the national and regional level. Troy has been described as a “hard–nosed and gritty” forward during his junior A and university playing days.

Liisa Savijarvi

A long standing celebrity at the The Gallivan, Liisa is a World Cup championship skier. With numerous podium finishes, her career is highlighted with a victory in the Super G in Furano, Japan in 1986. In 1987 she also won the Canadian Downhill Championship in Rossland B.C. and placed second in the giant slalom. The 1984 Olympian had over 20 top finishes however her career officially came to an end in 1988 following serious injuries sustained in Vail, Colorado. In 1997, Liisa was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and she now devotes her energy and skiing talents to helping others enjoy the sport. In 2006, Liisa, Karen Stemmle and Laurie Graham were named co-recipients of the Rob Thompson Memorial Award for long-time dedication to this tournament and the battle against CF.

JOHN SHANNON

Born in Oliver, BC, John began working with CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada in 1978, producing NHL games across the continent. In 1980, he moved to Calgary to become the show’s western producer during what was to be an outstanding period for the Flames. As a result, he was able to produce the Stanley Cup Final every year that decade. Some career highlights include working the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway; producing Wayne Gretzky’s last NHL game in Canada on April 15, 1999; experiencing Canada’s first Olympic hockey gold in 50 years at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and launching both Leafs TV and Raptors NBA TV.

KAREN STEMMLE

Karen is a world-class alpine skier and former Olympian, having represented Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Karen was always an excellent athlete, participating in provincial figure skating competitions in her youth, but found her calling in Alpine Skiing at the age of seventeen. In 1982, new to the Downhill racing scene, finished 4th at the Canadian Championships in Lake Louise where she was also awarded Junior Canadian Champion. The Canadian Alpine Ski Team invited Karen to join them on the World Cup Ski Circuit and within a year, she finished 6th at a World Cup race in Mt. Tremblant. In 1984, a 4th place World Cup Downhill finish in Verbier, Switzerland qualified Karen for the Canadian Olympic team and she went on to march in the Opening Ceremonies at the 1984 Games. Since retiring as an athlete in 1988, Karen has continued to make a valued contribution to her most-loved sport by instructing at the Georgian peaks Club, where she learned to ski with her parents, and on other ski hills across North America – dedicated to helping skiers improve their skills and techniques. Karen is a motivational speaker, volunteer and fundraiser whose talent, hard work and passion for her sport have inspired many others.

MURRAY WILSON

Murray Wilson has been a popular guest at the Gallivan for many years. A former Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings forward, Wilson became familiar to local fans with the AHL Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1971-72, helping the Halifax-based club to a Calder Cup and later, becoming a member of Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame with that team. In his six years with Montreal, Wilson won four Stanley Cups. He retired in 1979 with 181 points to his credit, including 90 goals and 91 assists in 352 games.

CODY JAMIESON

Cody is a star member of the Halifax pro lacrosse team, the Thunderbirds. Originally from Six Nations, Ontario, Cody played university lacrosse in the NCAA at Syracuse University, where in 2009, he scored the winning goal to secure the school’s second consecutive national title. Cody was selected first overall in the National Lacrosse League draft in 2010. He won the NLL championship with the Rochester Knighthawks in 2012. In 2013, Cody won the NLL scoring title with 108 points and 78 assists. He was league MVP in 2014. Cody was part of the inaugural season in Halifax with the Thunderbirds in 2019, who have truly captured the hearts and minds of Haligonians in the three years in the city. We are very excited to have Cody join the Gallivan in 2023!

DOUG MACLEAN

Doug is a successful former head coach and executive in the NHL. He is a proud Maritimer originally from Summerside, PEI. Doug was behind the bench in 1996 for Florida when the upstart Panthers made a run to the Stanley Cup Final. He later moved into a number of executive and coaching roles with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Doug then went into broadcasting and appeared on television and radio with Sportsnet. You can now catch him on Fridays on the Real Kyper and Bourne show for his segment “Off the Rails with Doug MacLean”. He has a forthcoming book in October 2023, “Draft Day”, which goes behind the scenes on team preparation for draft day and the use of analytics in hockey. 

MORGAN BARRON

Morgan is a proud Haligonian coming off a strong performance last season in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets. Morgan enjoyed a successful collegiate career in the Ivy League at Cornell University. He was named conference player of the year in 2020. Morgan signed an NHL contract with the New York Rangers in 2020. He was traded to Winnipeg in 2022. Morgan was a key cog this year for Winnipeg, which earned a spot to play against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights in last year’s playoffs. Morgan showed his toughness in the playoffs, playing all five games of the series despite a difficult injury in the first period of Game 1. Morgan recorded 8 goal and 13 assists last season. He is a rising star and we are very proud to have him at the Gallivan this year!

JUSTIN BARRON

Justin is another of the strong contingent of Haligonians in today’s NHL. He is coming off a highly successful season as defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens. Justin played his junior hockey with his hometown Halifax Mooseheads. He was captain of the Mooseheads in the 2020-2021 campaign. He was drafted 25^th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2020 NHL Draft. In 2021, he played for Team Canada in the 2021 World Juniors. He was traded by the Avalanche to the Canadiens in 2022. He represented Canada again on the world stage in 2023, helping to secure gold for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship. 

Mark Smith

Mark Smith has been the head coach of the Canadian Women’s National Softball Team since 2009, and has led the team to a number of great results since taking over the program, highlighted by a gold medal finish at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto (which marked the first gold medal finish for Canada at the event since 1983), and most recently, a bronze medal finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Prior to coaching, Mark was considered one of the best softball pitchers ever during his extensive playing career that spanned 25 years and multiple continents.

CAM RUSSELL

Cam has been the General Manager of the Mooseheads since 2008. Formerly the Head Coach, he moved his attention solely to the role of General Manager early in the 2010-11 season and was the architect of the Memorial Cup winning team in 2012-2013.

The Cole Harbour native enjoyed a successful playing career in the QMJHL with the Hull Olympiques where he won two President Cup championships under coaches Alain Vigneault and the late Pat Burns. He was drafted by Chicago in the 3rd round (50th overall) in 1987 and spent 10 seasons in the NHL as a rugged Defenseman with the Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche. Russell was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

TERRY BAKER

Few Nova Scotians get to play professional football, and finding one who played at the pro level for 16 years is rare. Bridgewater native Terry Baker has conquered that feat, enjoying a 16-year career with the Canadian Football League (CFL) that included two Grey Cup wins and a pair of scoring titles. After playing at Mount Allison University from 1982-84 and Acadia University in 1986, Baker began his professional career with the Saskatchewan in 1987. Throughout his CFL career he played with Saskatchewan, Ottawa, Toronto and ended his career in Montreal. He won his first Grey Cup with Saskatchewan in 1989 and his second with Montreal in 2002. In 1996 Baker was named Eastern Division All-Star and in 2002 he was named a CFL All-Star. In 1998 and 2000 he led the league in scoring. Terry was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2006.

Cindy Tye
Currently the head coach of Canada's U20 Women's National Team and the Dalhousie Tigers, Tye is a National B level coach, who has a long history of success at local, provincial, national and international levels. Cindy also has international coaching experience, serving as the head coach of the 2022 U20 women's national team at the FIFA World Cup and as an assistant for Team Canada in the 2019 World Universiade in Napoli, Italy. Most recently, she also helped to lead the U20 women's national soccer team to a third-place finish at the CONCACAF championship this spring, qualifying them for the 2024 FIFA U20 World Cup. Before getting into coaching, Cindy played five seasons (1990-1995) with the Acadia Axewomen, earning a CIAU championship with them in her first season. The 1994-95 AUAA women's soccer MVP, she led Acadia to two AUAA conference titles and was chosen as their female athlete of the year in 1994 and 1995. She was an AUAA all-star in all five seasons she played, earned two CIAU all-Canadian nods and was the AUAA rookie of the year in 1990-91.
Cindy joined Canada's national program as a player in 2001, staying for two seasons. She was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2010, is a member of the Acadia Sport Hall of Fame and has been named to the Truro Sport Heritage Society's Honour Roll.