NAME: Dr. Randy Gregg
UNIVERSITY: Alberta
CATEGORY: Student-athlete
SPORT: Men's hockey
HIGHLIGHTS:
Five-time Stanley Cup champion
Four-time CWUAA champion
Two-time CIAU champion
Olympic team captain
Eponym of U SPORTS excellence award
BIOGRAPHY:
An Edmonton family physician with a fascinating story is the newest member of
the Canada West Hall of Fame. Randy Gregg is the conference's latest inductee.
Gregg began his post-secondary studies at the University of Alberta when he was just 16. It wasn’t until he obtained his Bachelor of Science and entered the Faculty of Medicine that he decided to try out for the university’s hockey team.
That walk-on try out turned into a wild ride for Gregg. Not only did he make the team, but won the conference championship every year he played. The team won the national championships twice. In his final year, Gregg was the team’s captain. The defencemen, who was also the Most Valuable Player on the Edmonton Tigers Canadian Baseball championship-winning team at the time, completed medical school while leading both his hockey and baseball teams to Canadian glory.
Fittingly, Gregg was named the school’s most outstanding male athlete for the 1978 to 1979 season.
“Randy is one of the most accomplished Golden Bears Hockey alumni, both athletically and professionally, and is a deserving inductee to the Canada West Hall of Fame. He is one of the greatest hockey champions the City of Edmonton has ever produced, having won two CIAU National titles with the Bears, and five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers. He is also one of just six Bears Hockey alumni to compete in the Olympic Games, having competed on the biggest stages hockey has to offer during his 15 year playing career. Dr. Gregg has also been a practicing physician for nearly 30 years in Edmonton, beginning a long line of former Golden Bears who have completed medical school and become doctors," said University of Alberta Athletic Director, Ian Reade.
After graduating with his degree in medicine, Gregg continued to strap up his skates, this time, with the maple leaf on his chest next to the “C” on his shoulder. He was chosen to captain the Canadian team at the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. He joined the team again at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.
In 1982, he signed his first NHL contract with his hometown Edmonton Oilers. Gregg went on to play in the NHL for 10 seasons. He won five Stanley Cups in that time. The defenceman retired from professional hockey in 1992 with 193 points to his name.
Gregg explored his passion in medicine, opening a sports clinic in Edmonton. He also founded a non-profit organization that aims to offer children an alternative to traditional sports organizations.
The legacy Gregg left on university sport in Canada is easily spotted: the national university governing body has named the award for student-athlete excellence after him. The Dr. Randy Gregg Award is given out annually to the student who best embodies commitment and prowess in sport, academics and the community.
Gregg is already a member of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.