written by: Clarkey
Honourable Mentions:
The Resurgence of the Detroit Tigers
The Edmonton Oilers Playoff Run
The Dodgers Remarkable Comeback
Vince Young’s Performance in The Rose Bowl
#10 The Kids on the Block
The class of the 2005-06 NHL is one for the books. Two of the best rookies to ever come into the league in the last ten years are Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. It was a joy to watch them compete against each other. But they were not the only impressive rookies: Dion Phaneuf, Brad Boyes, Jussi Jokinen, Thomas Vanek and Marek Svatos were among the impressive freshmen.
#9 The Pittsburg Steelers
The Steelers have had quite a rollercoaster year to say the least. In January, they became one of the few wildcard teams to win the Super Bowl with Big Ben becoming the youngest QB to ever win a Super Bowl. However, Big Ben went for a little ride on his motorcycle without a helmet and was in an accident that sidelined him for preseason. The Steelers could not do much without him and even when he came back, he was nowhere near his usually greatness. The Steelers just want this season to be over.
#8 Dwayne Wade and the Heat
The Heat finally won the championship. Let me rephrase that. Dwayne Wade won the Miami Heat their first championship. The man was on fire in the finals, especially after his team was down 2-0. He led his team to 4 straight wins to capture the trophy.
#7 Agassi Retires
The sport of tennis lost a legend when Agassi ended his career this past year.
#6 Jason McElwain
The incredible true story of an autistic high school kid, who was the team’s equipment manager whose coach let him dress in the last game of the season. With his team leading by a considerable margin, McElwain got to enter the game. His first shot was an air ball, but his next six shots from beyond the ark were nothing but net. He finished with 20 points as the crowds rushed to lift him up. Quite a powerful story that will be a movie in the next year.
#5 Kobe Scores 81
As a Raptors fan, it pains me to put this on the list, but it has to be included. The most points scored by a single player since Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points 40 odd years ago. It seemed that no matter where he shot from, it went in.
#4 The Canadian MVPs
With the exception of the NFL, a Canadian won the MVP for the major professional sports leagues. Joe Thornton won the Hart for leading the Sharks into the playoffs in the NHL. Steve Nash won his second consecutive Most Valuable Player in the NBA. And the dark horse, Justin Morneau beat Ortiz and Jeter for the best player in the MBL. All Canadians should be proud of their accomplishments.
#3 LT
He set the NFL record for touchdowns in a regular season in only 13 games. The best part of having someone like LT get this record is the fact that he is a class act and a very humble man. On the day he set the record, he was happier that his team had taken over the top spot in the Conference. Also, he does not showboat with his touchdown celebrations like hotdogs Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson.
#2 Canada’s Winter Olympics
All the achievements the athletes did in Italy were overshadowed by the disappointing early exit for the men’s hockey team. The men lost 1-0 to Russia in the Quarters finals and were sent home early, but the Women’s hockey team beat Sweden in the finals to capture their second straight gold medal. Canada finished with 24 medals, which was third overall and only one short of the United States for second place. Cindy Klassen was the standout in Italy winning a Canadian record 5 medals in speed skating. She won gold in the 1,500 metres, silver in the 1,000 and team pursuit and bronze in the 3,000 and 5,000.
#1 The World Cup
There were so many memorable moments in this year’s World Cup. The ongoing terrible officiating is on top of my list for worst things in the Cup. The officials set a record for the most cards given out during a tournament, including an ugly affair between Portugal and the Netherlands. But everyone will remember the 2006 World Cup as the one where Zidane head butted the Italian who “insulted” his mother and sister. Like previous World Cups, there were surprises and disappointments. Australia, Ecuador, and Ghana all made it through the group stages and Portugal surprised a lot of people knocking over Mexico, the Netherlands and England en route to their first ever Semi-Finals. Super houses Argentina, Brazil and England could only go as far as the Quarters and for England, it was injuries and another shoot-out that resulted in an early exit. Huge kudos has to go to the host nation, Germany, for putting on one hell of a show throughout the tournament.