Top Canadian Moments of 2010

 Jon Montgomery

Jon Montgomery chugs a beer after winning the gold medal in the men's skeleton event at the Olympic Games.

          When one thinks back to the Vancouver Olympics, there are several moments that were memorable. When Jon Montgomery won the men’s skeleton event and proceeded to ‘slam back’ a pitcher of beer on a Vancouver main street, that instantly made him a Canadian folk hero.

Joey Votto

Canadian Joey Votto became the third player to win the MVP award in Major League Baseball.

          It isn’t too often that a baseball player makes a ‘Top Canadian Moments of the Year’ list. Joey Votto’s play this season made it impossible to ignore his name. The Etobicoke native hit 37 home runs and batted home 113 runs to win the National League MVP award. The Cincinnati Reds first baseman finished with 443 voting points from the Baseball Writers’s Association. Three time MVP Albert Pujols finished second with 279 voting points. Votto became just the third Canadian to win the MVP award (Larry Walker in 1999 and Justin Morneau in 2006). The 27 year old’s dream year was capped off by also winning the Lou Marsh Award for the best Canadian athlete of 2010.

 

Jonathan Toews

22 year old Jonathan Toews became the youngest member of the triple gold club (Olympic gold, Stanley Cup, World Championship.

         Jonathan Toews was arguably Canada’s top hockey player in 2010. He started off the year by scoring eight points and being named the top forward of the Vancouver Olympics. His fine play was just getting started. Toews led the Chicago Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup since 1961. He had 29 points during the playoffs and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP.

 

Joannie Rochette 

Joannie Rochette won the bronze medal in the women's free skate event with a lot on her mind.

        Competing in the Olympics is already a nerve-wracking, pressure-filled situation. Heading into Vancouver, Joannie Rochette was confident in her ability. Two days before her event was set to start, her mother Therese died of a sudden heart attack. Rochette had to battle through a whole different kind of pain. She persevered and ended up winning the bronze medal, fighting through tears during her final performance. Looking back, that moment is definitely one that gives me goosebumps 11 months later.

 

Alexandre Bilodeau

Alexandre Bilodeau hugging brother Frederic after becoming the first Canadian to win gold on Canadian soil.

         This was one of many inspirational stories at the Olympics. Alexandre Bilodeau was the first Canadian ever to win a gold medal on home soil. The 22 year old narrowly edged Austrailian (and Canadian born) Dale Begg-Smith to take the podium in the moguls event. What made this story memorable to Canadians was the connection between Alexandre and his older brother Frederic. When Fredric was young, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and was told he wouldn’t be able to walk past the age of 10. At 28 years old, Fredric was one of the loudest supporters of his brother when he took home the gold. Alexandre calls him his biggest inspiration and best friend.

Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lead Canada over the USA 3-2 to win Canada's final gold medal.

The Golden Goal

        When one thinks of the Vancouver Olympics, Sidney Crosby’s ‘golden goal’ defines the event. Crosby has been the face of Canadian hockey ever since he stepped onto the national stage and no one better could have scored this historic goal. The gold in men’s hockey was also extra special because it was Canada’s 14^th medal, which is the highest medal count achieved by any country at a Winter Olympics.

 

Honorable Mention 

Ruth Scully finally joined the 'Scully Hole-in-One Club' on December 29.

         My mom has been playing golf for years. In fact, she still uses a putter that she was awarded over 30 years ago (contrary to the common Scully strategy of trying as many different putters as possible). After I got a hole-in-one in 2005, my mom was the only family member not to get one. That all changed on ‘Family Olympics Day’ in Florida on December 29.  Mom used a 6 iron from 130 yards on the fourth hole of the ‘Osprey’ course. What made this occasion so special for me was that I saw the ball go in before she did. The par 3 is known as ‘deception’, so from the tee it is impossible to see the bottom of the cup. I was on the next tee with my uncles Tim and Greg and a family friend. While waiting on the next tee, we decided to look back to see how the ladies were doing. Precisely at the moment we looked back, we saw a ball land on the green, bounce twice and directly into the cup. Mayhem ensued. My mom (now known as Ace) saw us jumping up and down and realized that she had in fact sunk her shot. For her to get the ace on that day with many of our family and close friends with her was simply remarkable. In fact, James Cameron, who is the director of the Titanic and Avatar, has just contacted me and wants to create a movie about it.