Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is the CBCSports.ca athlete of the year for 2007. (Dale MacMillan/Getty Images)
2007 - Year in Review
Athlete of the Year: Sidney Crosby
Sid the Kid gets nod over illustrious crop of Canadians
Last Updated Mon., Dec. 24, 2007
Doug Harrison, CBC Sports
In a recent poll of National Hockey League players, coaches, scouts and other media personalities by Sun Media, an overwhelming majority named Sidney Crosby as the player you could build around.
That's heady praise for a guy who turned 20 in August and has played less than three full seasons of professional hockey.
But Crosby has earned the title, becoming the youngest player in any professional sport to win a scoring championship. The Pittsburgh Penguins centre also took home the Hart Trophy in June after being named the NHL's most valuable player.
In a year in which several Canadian athletes achieved plenty, CBCSports.ca is giving Crosby of Cole Harbour, N.S., the nod as its top athlete for 2007.
At 19 years, eight months, Sid the Kid became the youngest player to reach 200 points in his career, collecting 120 points last season to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's top scorer.
One of only five players to post 100 points in each of their first two NHL seasons, Crosby also was named a First Team all-star in the 2006-07 campaign.
"If you look at what Crosby did in his second year, it is really almost mind-boggling, especially under the microscope and the pressure," Hockey Night in Canada analyst Craig Simpson told CBCSports.ca columnist Scott Morrison earlier this season."
While Crosby led Pittsburgh's renaissance in his sophomore campaign, the franchise was on the selling block.
But city and state officials in Pennsylvania have since finalized a deal for a new arena to replace the ancient Mellon Arena in 2010 that should keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh beyond the length of Crosby's career.
Crosby completed the awards sweep in June as the recipient of the Lester B. Pearson award as the most outstanding player as selected by his peers.
"Sidney has a real sense of history. He watched [former Penguin] Mario [Lemieux] and Gretz [Wayne Gretzky] set records, and I think he's poised in his mind to do the same," Simpson said.
"The fans love him," added New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur. "Everybody seems to be on his wagon, and that's well deserved.
"He's going to be like Gretzky in making the NHL a better sport."
Crosby has already made the Penguins a better team. He is largely responsible for their 105-point finish in April - a 47-point improvement that was the fourth-biggest jump in NHL history - and a berth in the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Perhaps what has made Crosby so successful so early in his NHL career is his drive to accomplish more.
The smooth-skating forward is committed to excellence, remarking just before the start of this season that he wanted to improve on faceoffs and defensive coverage.
The maturation process was obvious in 2006-07, with Crosby amassing 50 fewer penalty minutes than his rookie campaign.
"If you want to make the NHL, you have to have that passion to be better and to learn," he said.
In May, after unseating Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier as the youngest player to ever be named a full-time captain, Crosby told people it wouldn't cause him to change the way he plays or approaches the game.
"I've always tried to lead by example," he said at the time. "I think I always have played with emotion [and] I need to keep playing like that."
Off the ice, Crosby has always been unflinching with the waves of media that descend on him in every NHL city he visits.
Crosby's first trek through Western Canada as an NHLer earlier this month was a major media spectacle with reporters documenting his every move in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, once home to fellow Canadian superstars Al MacInnis, Theoren Fleury, Mark Messier and Gretzky.
Upon arriving in Edmonton, where he was met by a roomful of reporters and cameramen, Crosby said he just deals with the media attention.
"The best thing to do is just enjoy it … if you put that pressure on yourself to do more, it usually doesn't go the right way."
A lot went right for Crosby in 2007.
RUNNERS-UP
Jeff Francis, Colorado Rockies pitcher
Why he could've won: The 26-year-old North Delta, B.C., native matched a Rockies record with 17 wins in his third full major-league baseball season. The left-hander also became the fourth Canadian to start a playoff game and first to win, pitching six solid innings to beat Philadelphia in the opener of a National League Division series. Francis finished the post-season with a 2-1 record and 4.86 earned-run average.
Why he didn't: While Francis enjoyed a career season, his 4.22 ERA and 165 strikeouts ranked 22nd and 13th, respectively, in the NL. The stylish southpaw also lasted just four innings (10 hits, six earned runs) in the biggest start of his career, a Game 1 World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Erik Guay, alpine skier
Why he could've won: On Feb. 24 in Germany, the multiple national champion became the first Canadian to win a World Cup men's downhill race since 1994 and first Quebec native to finish atop the podium. Guay, 26, finished third in the overall World Cup downhill standings, thanks to seven top-10 finishes and five visits to the podium in 25 races.
Why he didn't: While Guay's 12th-place finish in the overall World Cup standings is a strong showing for a Canadian and bodes well for the up-and-comer, he didn't dominate his sport like Crosby.
Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher
Why he could've won: Martin, 24, was voted a National League starter and finished with 19 home runs, 87 runs batted in and a .469 slugging percentage. The converted third baseman also led the major leagues with 1,254 innings behind the plate, stole 21 bases to shatter the Dodgers' record of 16 for a catcher, and captured his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.
Why he didn't: As impressive as Martin was in just his second full season in the majors, he was solid, but not spectacular, in all offensive categories, save for stolen bases. The East York, Ont., native could have also shown more consistency against right-handed pitchers (.273 average) compared to lefties (.357).
Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns guard
Why he could've won: The pride of Victoria was edged by former Dallas teammate Dirk Nowitzki as MVP in 2006-07, but his statistics were comparable to the previous two NBA seasons when he captured the award. Nash, 33, became only the second player to average a double-double in points (18.6) and assists (11.6).
Why he didn't: With Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Raja Bell, the 33-year-old Nash is surrounded by a more experienced supporting cast than Crosby, who accomplished as much, if not more, at a younger age. And unlike Crosby, Nash wasn't named MVP by his league or peers.
Hayley Wickenheiser, women's hockey player
Why she could've won: Considered the world's best women's hockey player, Wickenheiser accomplished more than most of her male colleagues in 2007, helping Canada regain its status as world champions. She was also named tournament MVP at the world championships in Winnipeg, top forward, media all-star and top-3 player for Canada. The Shaunavon, Sask., native was also a member of Alberta's gold-medal- winning team at the national championships in British Columbia, where Wickenheiser led the tourney in scoring and was named MVP.
Why she didn't: In a non-Olympic year, Wickenheiser did what is expected of her: standing out amongst a group of talented Canadians at tournaments that are always dominated by Canada and the United States.