There were numerous memorable local sports stories over the last 22 years of the Whitehorse Star. A look through the archives yielded many gold nuggets, and some fool’s gold as well.

A look at the 2002 year in review revealed that the 17th Arctic Winter Games (AWG) were held in Greenland and Nunavut, the first time they’d been held outside North America. The Yukon finished third with 74 medals.

The review also mentioned the demise of the Yukon Claim Jumpers hockey club, forcing junior-age players to find playing gigs elsewhere. Subsequent attempts to revive the team in 2002 failed.

The 33rd annual Polar Games also took place that year, with 750 Yukon athletes participating.

Of note, vaccinations were conducted on two Whitehorse hockey teams after one lad tested positive for Hepatitis A, a precursor to the COVID days mentioned later in this story.

The Yukon finished 11th out of 26 teams at the North American Indigenous Games in Winnipeg.

A record 32 teams took part in the Yukon River Quest that year.

In July 2002, Junior golfer Philip Mullin became the first-ever Yukoner to qualify for the Canadian Junior Golf Championships.

Ryan Leef won five gold medals in the CanAm Police and Fire Games in Spokane, Washington.

Multi-Sport Olympian Clara Hughes also visited Whitehorse that year.

In 2003, Hans Gatt won the Yukon Quest for the second consecutive year.

Leef became the first Yukon runner to be named to the national team.

Cross-country skier Graham Nishikawa, now the head coach for the Yukon’s cross country team, was named to the national junior squad.

Liam Dougherty, an associate member of the Whitehorse Figure Skating Club and ice dance partner Melissa Piperno won the junior title at the Canadian Championships.

In 2004, Whitehorse hosted the Canada Senior Games, with nearly 1,000 athletes competing. Yukon won 87 medals.

Anchorage’s Take No Prisoners won the Klondike Trail of ’98 International Road Relay for the third straight year.

Swimmer McKenzie Downing won a silver medal at the Canadian Championships.

Nishikawa continued his upward surge by becoming the first Yukon male skier to qualify for a senior national ski team trip.

In 2005, rookie Lance Mackey claimed the Yukon Quest crown.

Downing was selected to the Canadian team for the World University Games.

Special Olympian Garry Chaplin won a medal of each colour at the World Games in Nagano, Japan.

Yukon weightlifter Jeane Lassen won triple gold at the World University Weightlifting Championships.

The Canada Games Centre (CGC) was officially opened in October.

The Whitehorse Curling Club also hosted the 43rd annual Canadian Mixed Curling Championships.

In 2006, the action heated up in anticipation of the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

The CGC hosted the senior national badminton championships.

Mount Sima hosted the Canadian Freestyle Ski Championships.

Olympic speed-skating legend Catriona LeMay Doan visited the Yukon twice in 2006 and took in the Canada Post Short Track Championships.

Following the celebrity trend, Canadian women’s hockey legend Cassie Campbell also put in an appearance in a floor hockey game.

Fellow hockey legends Haley Wickenheiser and Kelly Hrudey also opened the Canada Games Volunteer Centre on First Avenue.

Lance Mackey repeated as Quest champion.

Yukon athletes gathered 81 medals at the Arctic Winter Games in Kenai, Alaska.

Weightlifter Jeane Lassen got gold at the Commonwealth Games.

A record 74 teams took part in the Yukon River Quest.

The U18 boys soccer team made history by capturing the Tivoli Cup in Denmark.

Downing earned her first senior Canadian title at the national championships in Montreal.

Cyclist Zach Bell was crowned a national champion again.

The big story of 2007, of course, was the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse. More than 1,800 athletes, coaches and managers attended. Cross-country skier David Greer won the Yukon’s first gold medal since 1995. The Yukon finished in 10th place in the CWG Flag Standings with 65.5 points.

In 2008, Felix Russell, 11, was selected to go to the NHL All-Star game through McDonalds In the Line Up program.

The Fulda Extreme Arctic Adventure competition took place in the Yukon for the first time.

Whitehorse Glacier Bear Swim Club members Alexandra Gabor and Bronwyn Pasloski competed in the 2008 Euro tour, winning a combined nine medals.

Lance Mackey won his fourth Yukon Quest.

The Yukon River Quest hit the 100-team mark for the first time.

The Arctic Winter Games team won 81 medals.

In 2009, Sebastian Schnuelle won the Yukon Quest, then finished second in the Iditarod, which Lance Mackey won for the third straight time.

Swimmer Alexandra Gabor won two gold medals at the Canada Winter Games, the first-ever for the Yukon. She later won gold at the Australia Age Group Championships and was named to the senior national team. After winning a couple of World Cup bronze medals, she won gold at the Canada Cup.

The 40th Polar Games were held Feb. 6.

Special Olympian Owen Munroe won three medals at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Idaho.

Dahria Beatty won gold at the Haywood Ski Nationals in Duntroon, Ont.

10 Yukoners scored 17 medals at the Canadian Orienteering Championships in Carberry, Manitoba.

Curling legend Kevin Martin and his team won the Skookum Cash Spiel in Whitehorse.

In 2010, Hans Gatt won the Yukon Quest in a record time of nine days, one hour and 35 minutes.

Gabor continued her exploits with two gold in the Australian U18 Swimming Championships.

Cyclist Zach Bell won a gold and silver at a World Cup in Beijing.

The Yukon won 101 medals at the Arctic Winter Games to finish fourth overall.

Sport Yukon Team of the Year, skipped by Sarah Koltun, won the U18 Optimist International Bonspiel in Regina.

Dahria Beatty, Knute Johnsgaard and Janelle Greer were named to the Canadian National Cross Country Junior Ski Team.

Carter Johnson set a solo kayak record (42 hours, 49 minutes) in the Yukon River Quest.

Mount Sima opened three runs for mountain biking for the first time ever.

Zach Bell won four gold and a silver at the Track Cycling Canadian Championships.

Curling legend Kevin Koe took home $12,000 from the Skookum World Curling Tour Cash Spiel.

In 2011, Zach Bell began the year by getting crowned World Cup champion.

Judo Yukon won nine medals at the Edmonton International Judo Championships.

Don Cherry and Ron MacLean hosted Hockey Night in Canada live from Takhini Arena in Whitehorse, selected as the host of Hockey Day in Canada.

Sisters Kyley and Danielle Marcotte won bronze and gold, respectively, at the Canadian National Pistol Championships in Calgary. They followed it up with five medals at the Canadian Grand Prix in Toronto and gold at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax.

Emily and Graham Nishikawa were named the Sport Yukon Female and Male Athletes of the Year. Emily won gold at the Canada Winter Games and each won gold at the Eastern Canadian Cross Country Ski Championships.

2012 got off to a good start for Thomas Scoffin, who skipped Canada to a bronze at the Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Hugh Neff won his first Yukon Quest.

Whitehorse hosted the Arctic Winter Games, finishing second to Alaska with 122 medals.

The capital city also hosted the Women’s World Fastpitch Championship, with Japan winning the 16-team tourney.

Team Yukon’s 55-plus team captured a record 76 medals in Sydney, N.S.

The Klondike Trail of ’98 International Road Relay celebrated its 30th anniversary with 1,330 riders.

The NHL Player’s Association held a charity game at Takhini Arena.

Emily Nishikawa and Zach Bell were named the Sport Yukon International Athletes of the Year.

In 2013, Nishikawa and brother Graham won gold at World Cup races in Canmore, Alta.

A young skater named Michael Sumner, 16, scored silver at the Special Olympic World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Allen Moore won the Yukon Quest.

Wheelchair racer Jessica Frotten won five gold medals at the Dogwood Track and Field Meet in Victoria, then three bronze at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.

Zach Bell won the 2013 Canadian Road Championships Men’s Elite road race in St. Georges, Que., then the 2013 Canadian Track Championship in Dieppe, N.B.

Team Scarecrow won their fourth Klondike Trail of ’98 International Road Relay in a row.

Former Olympian and Cross Country Yukon coach Alain Masson was inducted into the Yukon Sport Hall of Fame.

2014 began well for Emily Nishikawa as she was named to the Winter Olympics roster.

Sarah Koltun became the youngest skip ever at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Montreal, scoring two wins.

Allen Moore won his second straight Yukon Quest.

Graham Nishikawa won three gold medals leading visually impaired skier Brian McKeever at the Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.

Freestyle skier Etienne Geoffroy earned a pair of gold medals at the Canadian Junior Freestyle Championships in Le Relais, Que.

Team Yukon took home 85 ulus from the Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks.

The cross country team won a best-ever 19 medals at the nationals in Newfoundland, finishing second overall.

The Yukon government earmarked $250,000 in their budget for an outdoor sport complex featuring soccer fields and an eight-lane rubberized track in Whitehorse, which is now at F.H. Collins Secondary School.

Clara Hughes entered Whitehorse on Day 60 of her Big Ride.

Jessica Frotten won two golds and a silver at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Moncton.

Retired NHL’er Theoren Fleury gave a motivational talk in Whitehorse.

Team Yukon collected 14 medals at the Special Olympic Summer Games in Vancouver.

Team Yukon came home with 11 medals from the North American Indigenous Games in Regina.

Team Yukon brought home 66.5 medals (the .5 was a tie) and the Spirit of the Games Award from the Canada 55+ Games.