Olympians, Stanley Cup winner among N.B. Sports Hall of Fame 2022 class

A pair of Olympians and a Stanley Cup winner are among the inductees to the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

The six inductees, three men and three women, represent the sports of hockey, rowing, basketball, boxing and softball.

This year's class is made up of four athletes and two officials.

The inductees will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in June.

Rothesay's Cynthia Johnston is one of the province's most decorated basketball players, part of the bronze-winning New Brunswick team at the 1985 Canada Games.

While Johnston's career would take her to the world stage, she had humble beginnings on the Rothesay Commons basketball courts.

"I would go every day, every night, whenever I had a free moment, I would just go and play and play pick up with whoever was there," said Johnston.

She would go on to be part of Canada's national women's basketball team over 14 years, participating in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, as well as playing 12 seasons as a pro in Europe.

Even though she experienced a lot of success on the court, it was the relationships she made with her teammates that stand out to her today.

"The friendship of my teammates, the experiences that we shared and the sort of combined camaraderie of having a similar focus, that's really a connection that makes it all really worthwhile," said Johnston.

Johnston would play professionally until she was 36-years-old.

She said she hadn't picked up a basketball for a decade after retiring, until her two children forced her into a friendly competition.

"They doubted that I even had ever played," said Johnston. 

"We were at a park or something and I took a couple of shots."