4 Most Valuable Province
Which British Columbian has the best shot as MVP?
Written by Hosea C
Canucks Access
It doesn’t seem highly possible right now, but imagine if an NHL player from British Columbia won the Hart Memorial (MVP) Trophy this season.
Why would that be significant, you ask. Well, if it actually happened, BC should be given bragging rights as the best MVP-producing Province in Canada, judging from the past couple years.
I’m not just talking about hockey obviously, as 2004-05’s NHL MVP was London, Ontario’s Joe Thornton. But if you look at all the other major sports that include Canadian teams, it’s plain to see which Province dominates in terms of Most Outstanding Players.
Take the National Basketball Association, for example, Victoria’s own Steve Nash won the MVP title back-to-back with the Phoenix Suns. That’s an incredible feat considering the small number of Canadians playing in the NBA. This short BC point guard has been dominating the league on the court, while being a huge role model off the court for basketball-lovers and young athletes across Canada. Good thing he chose basketball over soccer, which happened to be his first ‘love’.
Speaking of soccer, BC isn’t without it’s own star. Burnaby-born Christine Sinclair is arguably one of the greatest Canadian female soccer players ever, as she was named the W-League Championship Tournament MVP earlier this year. This award adds to her highly respectable list of titles, which includes Canada Soccer’s 2005 Female Player of the Year and 2005 College Cup MVP.
BC’s list of Outstanding Players continues, most recently with the news coming out of the MLB. Justin Morneau of New Westminster edged out the likes of Derek Jeter and David Ortiz to claim the AL’s Most Valuable Player award. The Minnesota Twin’s first baseman becomes the second Canadian-born MLB player ever to win an MVP. Guess who the first winner was? Maple Ridge’s Larry Walker, who was awarded in 1997.
British Columbia isn’t without up and coming hockey MVPs either. Just look at the Western Hockey League. Last season, the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (Player of the Year) and the Playoffs Most Valuable Player were both awarded to BC born skaters. Penticton native Justin Pogge grabbed the Player of the Year award while North Vancouver’s own Gilbert Brule finished as the top player in the WHL Playoffs.
However, when it came to the Canadian Football League, the Outstanding Player happened to be American; but heck, he played for the BC Lions. As did four other award winners as the Lions took home six CFL trophies. Oh yeah, BC also won the Grey Cup.
Now getting back to the NHL, the possibility of a British Columbian claiming the MVP award certainly looks dim. Currently, the top five Canadians in NHL scoring hail from Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.
So far, it seems that BC’s best chance for NHL player supremacy is none other than ‘Burnaby Joe’ Sakic. Sakic, who won the Hart Trophy in 2001, is currently 13th among Canadians in scoring and 23rd in the NHL. Unless he puts together a major tear through the rest of this season, the MVP award will be hard to reach. Other BC born candidates include Vancouver’s Paul Kariya and Cranbook’s Scott Niedermayer. Hey, they definitely have the talent to be the best from the West.
Whatever the outcome, it’s safe to say that British Columbia has produced great athletes throughout the sporting world.
It just so happens that a high percentage of them turned out to become MVPs.
