Movers and Shakers: Top 25 most influential people in Canadian Sport (25-16)

Welcome to Yahoo Canada Sports’ 2015 Movers and Shakers – the 25 people who, in the judgment of the Yahoo Canada Sports editorial team along with input from former executives and current insiders, wielded the most influence over Canadian sport this year.

Over the next three days we’ll count down our choices, starting with Nos. 25-16, continuing with six through 15 Wednesday and releasing the top five on Christmas Eve. We invite you to offer your thoughts on our Movers and Shakers by reaching out to us on Twitter (@YahooCASports), using the hashtag #MoversShakers, or in the comments below. Over the next seven days, we’ll also present our top 25 athletes of the year, the 'Unsung Heroes' of the past 12 months, and a look at the Sports People to Watch in 2016.

We begin with entries 25-16 in our Movers and Shakers list.

25. Steve Nash

He officially retired from pro basketball in March after 18 NBA seasons and two league MVP awards, but Nash remains a central figure in Canadian basketball via his signature youth basketball programs and as general manager and chief recruiter for the national men's team, which took silver at the Pan Am Games and finished third at the FIBA Americas championship. The latter result meant Canada came up one spot short of securing a berth at the upcoming Rio Olympics, and will have one more shot through a last-chance Games qualifying tournament in July 2016.

24. Saad Rafi

The Pan Am Games CEO took over from Ian Troop's initial planning and organization of a complex enterprise of competing interests and saw it across the line. Stories centring on excessive expenses and later, the usual pre-Games menu of complaints around traffic, costs and the like were in the final reckoning forgotten. The Games turned out to be a pretty good show, actually, that ended up at just over 1-million tickets sold for its events, a corresponding series of cultural festivals that transformed the country's biggest city for weeks, and perhaps most surprisingly, Canadians coudn't get enough of it, grousing to the CBC about a lack of coverage.

23. Eugenie Bouchard

While 2015 wasn’t a vintage year on the court, Bouchard remains one of tennis’ most recognizable faces with endorsement deals from giants Nike and Coca-Cola while she also appeared on the cover of Flare magazine. Bouchard, who has more than 2-million followers on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, took centre court in a different sense for launching a lawsuit against the United States Tennis Association after she slipped and fell in a locker room during the U.S. Open.

22. Jeff Hunt

Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group’s expansion under Hunt’s direction the past few years, including redeveloping Lansdowne Park for the CFL’s return, paid off gloriously this year. The Redblacks went to the Grey Cup in only their second year after a 2-16 expansion season while the second-year Fury won NASL’s fall championship and reached the league final. Meanwhile, the OHL 67s remain viable two decades after many predicted with the Senators’ arrival that junior hockey wouldn’t survive in the capital, testament to OSEG’s canny community-minded management. Coming up: the 2016 Brier in March, at the 67s’ TD Place home rink, and a bid for a 2017 NHL outdoor game.

[ Related: Movers and Shakers – Top 25 most influential people in Canadian Sport (15-6) ]

21. The Unnamed Woman

A whistle blower’s sexual harassment claim against Marcel Aubut prompted the stunning resignation of the Canadian Olympic Commission president and a yet-to-be-released review of the organization’s workplace policies. The woman withdrew her claim after Aubut stepped down, but her stepping forward is expected to have a long-term impact on governance issues and policy inside the COC and the Canadian sporting community at large.

20. Brian Cooper

As CEO of S&E Sponsorship Group, Cooper oversees a sports consultancy agency of 34 that regularly scores big – witness 2015 deals involving hockey heavies Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid (with Canadian Tire), P.K. Subban (Scotiabank), a couple of World Cup of Hockey deals and separate partnerships involving basketball’s Kyle Lowry and Steve Nash. Cooper also sits on the boards of the Hockey Canada Foundation and Canada Basketball.

19. Brad Robins

Robins, a former advertising executive, advises athletes, sports executives and some of the biggest decision makers in corporate Canada. Carey Price, Martin Brodeur and Joffrey Lupul are among the NHLers he has worked with on creating multimillion-dollar marketing and philanthropic programs between players and corporations. His understanding of social media has created a players network that reaches over a million fans daily, including 500,000 Facebook followers for Price. Robins has also lobbied the NHL and the NHL Players' Association to put sponsors on jerseys.

18. Bill Daly

The NHL's deputy commissioner and most likely Gary Bettman’s future successor is running the league’s expansion process, officially declared ongoing in June though not yet ready for prime time as the year draws to a close. He’s also the point man with the IIHF on the World Cup of Hockey, returning next year after a 12-year absence, but perhaps most importantly with the departure of Brendan Shanahan from the league operations office, he’s become the league’s most visible senior executive.

[ Related: Movers and Shakers – Top 5 most influential people in Canadian Sport ]

17. Jim Lawson

The CFL board of governors chair brought Jeffrey Orridge in to take over as commissioner and brokered the Argos sale and subsequent move into BMO Field, moves that helped stabilize the league. His other, newer gig is a much taller order: Appointed CEO of Woodbine in the spring, the mandate going forward includes reviving the Toronto racetrack via property development and a new casino, while trying to maintain high-quality horse racing without the revenues that slot machines formerly provided.

16. Drake

Among the most recognizable courtside fans in the world, Drake continues to rep Toronto's teams with obvious pride. Although his three-year partnership with the Raptors as the team's "global ambassador" is perhaps going into something of an eclipse with the departure of Tim Leiweke from the MLSE team, he did contribute to the team’s recent logo and uniform redesign, and his annual OVO Bounce summer basketball tournament attracts an impressive field of NBA players.

More on Movers and Shakers

Wednesday: Nos. 15-6

Thursday: The Top 5 Movers and Shakers of 2015

Thursday: 2015's Top Athletes in Canadian Sport

Monday (Dec. 28): The Unsung Heroes of 2015

Tuesday (Dec. 29): Who to Watch in 2016