Celebrities

A lifelong athlete and sports fan, supporter and booster, Rainnie says the lifelong lessons he absorbed through sport are what he hopes to pass on to guests of the hall.

After graduating from Dalhousie University with a degree in chemistry, the Prince Edward Island native found himself in Yarmouth working as a morning show host at the local radio station.  Within a couple of years, Rainnie landed a temporary post in front of the camera for the CBC. That experience led to another phone call from the national broadcaster, this time to cover an event in Halifax for CBC Sports. And the next 30 years, well, they include a series of fortunate events that saw Rainnie cover eight Olympic Games for the CBC, host Hockey Night in Canada, become the voice of the CBC’s curling play-by-play coverage and enjoy a 20-year run as emcee for the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony.

Rainnie joined the Hall of Fame as CEO in 2017 and continues to live-broadcast curling matches for CBC Sports. The latter is a job that he says keeps both his mind sharp and credits the Hall of Fame board with appreciating the value in having their CEO visibly connected to amateur sporting events nationwide.

At home, Rainnie plays the role of doting husband to his wife, musician Kendra MacGillivray and father to two young boys, Mark and Allistair. As one might expect, their home is filled with instruments and sporting equipment.

Rainnie grew up in a musical home and taught himself to play guitar after a teacher at Dartmouth High taught him to play three chords and The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. His mother was a big Elvis fan and today his playlists revolve around classics like Springsteen, Simon and Garfunkel and Emmylou Harris. Rainnie’s wife, Kendra, is an award-winning fiddler and his sons play the saxophone and piano so when the family pool is empty and the sports channel is turned off, someone is strumming, picking or banging an instrument.

“We’re a typical family with a little more music thrown in,” Rainnie says.