Ottawa Pacers Book of Achievement
Jean-Marie Leduc

Pacer Member

Category

Elected

Although not himself a skater, Jean-Marie has been active in skating circles for more than 30 years including the NHL as well as speed skating organizations. He is known most widely for his bilingual announcing at speed skating meets and for his historical collection of some 345 pairs of hockey and speed skates, some of which formed part of a major exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization from January 2006 to March 2007.

1978 to 1988    Jean-Marie was a special associate to Winterlude for ten years.
1981 to 1982    President of the Pacers Speed Skating Club of Ottawa
1983 to 1987    Public Relations officer for the Pacers.
1998    the ISU certified Jean-Marie as an announcer for speed skating, having achieved Level I in 1982, Level II in 1988 and Level III in 1996.

He has been the announcer for 3 Canada Winter Games, 8 Ontario Winter Games and 3 World Special Olympics Games. Jean-Marie was the French Voice for long track at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.  In addition to his announcing activities Jean-Marie was the founder of the Capital City Long Blade Skating Club in 1982 and co-founder of the Marathon Skating Clubs in North America in 1983.  He was also president of the Concordes of Ottawa for one term and is on that clubs board of directors.  

Jean-Marie is also active in the NHL, being instrumental in the publication of The Official National Hockey League 75th Anniversary Commemorative Book and was one of the exhibitors for the 100th Anniversary of the Stanley Cup in 1993. He Identified 55 pair of old skates for the Hockey Hall Of Fame before its move to the new site.

Before he became interested in skating Jean-Marie was into tennis, winning the Ottawa junior title in 1948 and then instructing for the city until 1956 and refereeing until 1960. He was also the director of the Ottawa New Edinburgh Canoe Club from 1955 to 1961.