Earlier this week, a media panel unveiled its choice as the top Canadian athlete of 2016. To the chagrin of many in the hockey world, the honour went not to Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby but rather to Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak.
The panel had a good reason for the decision: Oleksiak, not Crosby, was the deserving winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy.
That isn’t meant as a slight to Crosby, who in 2016 added yet another brilliant year to an outstanding professional career.
Crosby won his first Conn Smythe as NHL playoff MVP, along with his second Stanley Cup. He was the leading scorer and MVP in the World Cup and won that tournament as part of a stacked Canadian entry. He scored a whopping 110 points in 92 total regular-season and playoff games at the NHL level, leading the league in production over that span.
And yet, as impressive as those accomplishments are, it’s necessary to keep them in perspective.
The talent level at the World Cup of Hockey was undeniable, but this isn’t some venerable, long-running event. Instead, it’s an on-ag ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Sorry, but Sidney Crosby Was Not Canada’s Top Athlete in 2016
December 15th, 2016 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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