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During the holidays, I always get a little sentimental, remembering all the memories I've made over the past year. And, (mis)quoting one of my favorite moviesHow can you not be sentimental about sports?
So here are 12 photos—one for each month—and a few words to help us celebrate some of the best athletes and moments of 2025.
January: Philadelphia special.
The incredible Saquon Barkley rushed for 205 yards and two long touchdowns, including this 78-yarder in the fourth quarter, to help the Philadelphia Eagles past the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the NFL playoffs. Barkley, who became the ninth player ever to rush for 2,000 yards in the regular season, helped Philadelphia beat Kansas City 40–22 in the Super Bowl.
February: elbows up.
At the height of Canadian fury over Trump's tariff war, Brandon Hagel set his country on fire by brawling with American star Matthew Tkachuk in one of three fights in the first nine seconds of an electric 4 Nations match in Montreal. The Americans won that preliminary round game, but Canada got revenge five days later in Boston when Connor McDavid scored in overtime to win the final.
March: Alexander the Great
Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin celebrated a goal against Philadelphia that brought him closer to Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL record. Ovechkin will surpass the Great One by scoring his 895th regular-season goal in early April and reach the mythical 900-goal mark this season.
April: Master Strike
Rory McIlroy birdied the 18th hole at Augusta to win a surprise playoff over Justin Rose for his first green jacket, completing a rare career Grand Slam. The Northern Irishman scored another emotional victory in September, helping Europe retain the Ryder Cup by defeating the United States at a hostile Bethpage in New York.
May: The cats are back
Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe celebrates the game-tying overtime victory in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against Toronto. Florida trailed two games to nil before rallying to eliminate the Leafs in seven and then beat Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row.
June: Maple Jordan
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander held off countryman Andrew Nembhard and the plucky Indiana Pacers to win the seven-game NBA Finals to cap one of the greatest individual seasons in history. SGA joined a club consisting of only three other players, including Michael Jordan, who won regular-season and Finals MVP awards and led the league in scoring that season. In December, he added his second North Star award as Canadian Athlete of the Year.
July: Summer Love
After winning three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and breaking three world records in five days at the Canadian Trials this year, Summer McIntosh has set herself an extremely ambitious goal: to become the only swimmer other than Michael Phelps to win five individual gold medals at the world championships. She failed to win four golds and a bronze in Singapore, but you can admire the courage of someone who is not yet 19 years old.
August: Venya, you see, Vicky.
Summer McIntosh wasn't the only Canadian girl to win the big event this year. Eighteen-year-old tennis player Victoria Mboko shocked the world by defeating four Grand Slam champions, including former No. 1 Naomi Osaka, in the final to win the Canadian Open in Montreal. Mboko, who was ranked outside the world's top 300 at the start of 2025, also won the Hong Kong Open in November and finished the year in 18th place.
September: Headlights, Camryn, action.
Canadian hammer thrower Camryn Rogers delivered another stellar performance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, winning her second consecutive world title and her Olympic gold from last year. Men's Olympic champion Ethan Katzberg also won his event, giving Canada another shot at the hammer throw, while walker Evan Dunphy won his first world title, 800-meter runner Marco Arop won bronze and Andre De Grasse led his Olympic champion men's 4×100-meter relay team to a silver medal behind Team USA.
October: Hurt and Ernie
Yes, it was painful to watch the Toronto Blue Jays lose Games 6 and 7 of the World Series to the loaded Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing an improbable championship to slip through their fingers. But what a joy it is to spend October with the amazing Ernie Clement, who broke the major league record for hits in a single postseason, and other Jays playoff heroes like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and rookie pitching sensation Trey Yesavage. Spring can't come fast enough.
November: Green Day
Veteran defenseman Trevor Harris captured the Gray Cup after leading the Saskatchewan Roughriders to their first championship in 12 years and only the fifth in the club's 115-year history. Harris, 39, was named MVP of the CFL title game after throwing for 302 yards and completing a Gray Cup record 85.2 percent of his passes.
December: Queen of the Mountain
Lindsey Vonn, 41, celebrated her first win since 2018 after the women's downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland, becoming the oldest skier ever to win an alpine skiing World Cup race. A year on from her return from a five-season break, the all-time leader in downhill wins has now finished on the podium in five of her last six starts and will be a top contender for gold at this February's Winter Olympics in Italy.
