Dec 12, 2017
Many Canadian athletes make strong case for Lou Marsh Trophy
The Lou Marsh Trophy will be awarded to Canada’s athlete of the year on Tuesday and while there is a strong crop of candidates for 2017, there is no clear favourite.
TSN.ca Staff
The Lou Marsh Trophy will be awarded to Canada’s athlete of the year on Tuesday and while there is a strong crop of candidates for 2017, there is no clear favourite.
Most likely to be in the running are Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby, Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid, LPGA golfer Brooke Henderson and tennis player Denis Shapovalov.
The voting panel consists of sports media members from across the country. The winner is expected to be announced at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Votto lost the National League MVP award by a single vote after hitting .320/.454/.578 with 36 home runs and 100 RBI. The Toronto native had his best season since winning the MVP in 2010 when he was also awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy.
Crosby had a banner year in 2017, winning a second-straight Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe Trophy and Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy after leading the NHL with 44 goals. Crosby managed to average more than a point a game in the postseason, scoring eight goals and posting 19 assists in 24 playoff games.
McDavid also had a great season and cemented himself as a superstar in the NHL. In his second NHL season, the 20-year-old won the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player; the Ted Lindsay Award, awarded to the NHL's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players’ Association and the Art Ross Trophy, after leading the league with 100 points.
Henderson followed up a great 2016 season with a solid 2017 campaign. The Smith Falls, Ont. native finished the year ranked 14th in the LPGA World Rankings and sixth on the LPGA Money List, highlighted by two victories and eight top-10s.
Shapovalov took the tennis world by storm this summer. The 19-year-old beat world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the third round of the Rogers Cup en route to making it to the semi-finals, becoming the youngest player ever to reach an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final. He carried that momentum into the final Grand Slam of the year, reaching the fourth round of the US Open. Shapovalov finished 2017 ranked 51st in the ATP World Rankings.