Crosby Likely to Pass Torch to Toews or Keith, but Which One?


Alot of discussions have been making the rounds during the quietest part of the year for hockey and one of them is the debate over who should be Canada's Athlete of the Year, otherwise known as the Lou Marsh Trophy.

Usually these types of things are pretty easy to decide and the committee of writers and other pundits have already made up their minds well before a vote is ever cast, yet I'm not quite sure that is the situation this time around.

At the moment, the consensus seems to be that Jonathan Toews will be a lock for the 2010 edition of Canada's Athlete of the Year, but even then, I am hesitant to agree.

The case for Toews is certainly a viable one, perhaps the best one out there, as the young Captain of the Blackhawks earned a Gold medal as a member of Team Canada this past February as well as earning the Conn Smythe trophy en route to the 'Hawks first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years. Pretty heavy duty stuff for a 22 year old!

What makes Toews' accomplishments all the more special is that, not only was he a 'member' of the Gold Medal winning team, but he went from being the 13th forward at the start of the tournament to being the team's top player. His lightning fast progression through Team Canada's lineup left him at the top of the world after the Games and he carried his strong play through the rest of the regular season and straight through until Patrick Kane finished things off in overtime of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Again, if that doesn't spell Athlete of the Year, I'm not quite sure what does.

Yet I digress. The whole point of my mentioning this situation is that, for everyone who is saying that JT should be the rightful winner of this year's award, there is an equally compelling argument that can be made for Toews' Team Canada and Blackhawks team-mate, Duncan Keith.

Keith, a native of Winnipeg like Toews, recently completed his 5th season in the NHL and could not have asked for better results. Much like his Captain, Keith also played an extremely important role on Team Canada, playing the role of the 'next generation' of Pronger-Niedermayer' alongside another Blackhawk team-mate, Brent Seabrook. Keith's steady play went a very long way in helping Canada earn the Gold medal, proving that Steve Yzerman and company were wise in selecting the pairing of Keith and Seabrook over some of the other potential candidates such as Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, etc...

In keeping with the trend, Keith also carried his stellar play from the Olympics back to the NHL and proved to be the strongest, steadiest and best defenseman in the NHL for the 2010 season, earning the Norris Trophy over Mike Green and Drew Doughty.

An absolute minute eater, Keith saw more ice-time than any other player during the regular season and finished second in the playoffs, behind only Chris Pronger. He also played a massive role offensively for the 'Hawks throughout the year, again finishing only second to Mike Green in points during the regular season(7 points behind Green - 10 ahead of 3rd place, Zdeno Chara) and 2nd only to Chris Pronger in the playoffs(Pronger had 18 points, Keith had 17).



So, when you contrast the performance of these two ridiculously young, talented and accomplished Blackhawks, who gets the nod as Canada's Athlete of the Year?

As I mentioned above, it certainly sounds like Jonathan Toews has garnered a favourable amount of support to be this year's recipient, but, with the numbers, accolades and accomplishments that Duncan Keith has also achieved, I don't necessarily believe it is as cut and dry as most people think.

Although Sidney Crosby did indeed score the game winning goal in the Gold medal game against the United States at the Olympics, I am not quite sure it will be enough for the former winner to take home the honors once again.

This time around it almost certainly seems that a young Blackhawks star from Winnipeg will take home the award.

Yet, as I sit here writing this out, reviewing and comparing how incredible both players have been this year, I can't help but wonder if they can't share the award?

It seems almost insane to think that one or the other will not win the award.

Toews was the Conn Smythe winning captain of the Blackhawks who played a vital role in Team Canada's efforts to capture the Gold Medal.

Keith was the Norris recipient as best defenseman in the NHL and played more minutes than anyone but a goaltender this season, as well as helping Canada to a Gold medal and the Hawks to their first Cup in 49 years.

It's not an easy choice by any stretch of the imagination, but, that said, I would love to get your opinion on the matter.

Who do you think deserves to be Canada's Athlete of the year, Jonathan Toews or Duncan Keith?













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