It's been a great year for Canadians on the world's sporting stages. As 2025 comes to an end, it's time for the awards to be presented in the top three categories – Athletes, Athletes and Best Team.
Male athlete — It’s quite difficult not to be recognized as the athlete of the year in Canada when you actually showed that you are the best player in the National Basketball Association (that is, the world). Twenty-six-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton had a dream year with the Oklahoma City Thunder, leading his team to the league championship, winning the individual scoring title and being named NBA Most Valuable Player. He averaged 32.7 points per game last year and is off to a similar start this year as the Thunder lost just one of their first 23 games.
Second place — Tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime has risen to fifth place in the men's world rankings thanks to a sensational season on the court. The six-foot-four, 25-year-old won more than $5 million in prize money, had a 50-24 singles record and won three tournaments – in Brussels (Belgium), Montpelier (France) and Adelaide (Australia).
Sportswoman — There is no official world ranking for swimmers, but Summer McIntosh from Toronto is either first or second among women. The 19-year-old has won four golds and one bronze at the FINA World Championships and is the current world record holder in the 200m and 400m.
Second place — She came out of nowhere (almost), but tennis player Victoria Mboko, who started 2025 ranked 350th in the world, has risen to 18th with her sensational play. The highlight was her victory in Toronto at the Rogers National Bank Open, where she beat Naomi Osaka in the final. Mboko also won a tournament in Hong Kong and earned $1.44 million.
Team of the Year “It was easy: the Toronto Blue Jays were one step away from winning the World Series and captured the hearts of Canadians from coast to coast. Preseason picks to finish at or near the bottom of the American League East, the Jays instead posted a 94–68 record thanks to outstanding offensive seasons from George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. After defeating the Seattle Mariners in the AL Championship Series, the Blue Jays took the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers to Game 7 of the series before losing 5–4.
Second place — Rachel Homan's curling team would make a logical claim to be the greatest women's curling team in Canadian history, which is quite a title when the likes of Sandra Schmirler, Colleen Jones and Jennifer Jones are competing. A three-time world champion, including 2025, Homan and her third rink Tracey Fleury, second Emma Miskew and leader Sarah Wilkes posted a stunning 75-8 record in 2025 and capped the year with a decisive victory in the Canadian Olympic curling competition. She and her team will wear Canada's colors in Milan, Italy, at the 2026 Winter Games, where she will compete for her first Olympic medal on her third attempt.
ABROAD
• From Sportscurmudgeon.com, about the Weber State coach. Mickey Mental he is fired: “And apparently, if he and his wife ever have triplets, they should name them Funda, Instra and Monu.”
• Headline on Fark.com: “Congratulations on bringing the World Cup to Haiti for the first time in 50 years. Too bad your fans won't be allowed into the US to see it.”
• Vancouver comedian Torben Rolfsen: Raiders coach Pete Carroll said he's “all in” on the QB Geno Smith. Just like he went all-in on the Super Bowl pass from the one-yard line.”
• A football fan tweeted after The Great One failed to pronounce the names of countries at the World Cup draw: “The World Cup group of death is Wayne Gretzky and the name of any country which he must pronounce.”
• More on Gretzky's pronunciation errors: “Can you imagine if Niger qualified and grabbed that ball… you'd see 20 people trying to grab it before he even started talking.”
• Torben Rolfsen Again on the Vancouver Professional Women's Hockey League expansion team: “The song 'Let's Go Goldeneyes' is too long. Can we shorten it to 'Let's Go G-eyes?'”
• Headline on Fark.com: “Jayden Daniels declared injured in a game that some believe could decide how far the Communists fall from the playoffs.”
• One more from Rolfsen: “Shohei Ohtani said he will play for Japan when the World Baseball Classic opens at the Tokyo Dome. Hey, what happened to the auditions?
• Mike Bianchi from the Orlando Sentinel: “UCF starting quarterback Taiven Jackson will enter the transfer portal and will soon be heading to his fourth college. He is currently not receiving an education; it accumulates frequent flyer miles. His next zero deal should be sponsored by U-Haul!”
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