Thursday, December 08, 2005

HockeyNation salutes Steve Nash

There's not much of a link between hockey and this next story, except that in the past many a hockey player has been awarded with the Lou Marsh trophy and this year Sidney Crosby was a finalist for the honour. However, we felt it important to recognize the contributions of Steve Nash to Canadian sport. So in that spirit we offer up the following post, taken from our A Town Called Podunk website.

NASH AWARDED LOU MARSH HONOURS!

Steve Nash, who has single handedly tried to bring Canada back to basketball glory in the world, was named the recipient of the Lou Marsh Trophy today. It marks the first time that a basketball player has been named the recipient since the award was first handed out in 1936. It’s a most deserving honor for the quiet leader who ply’s his trade on the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and is one of the most respected players in the NBA.

Nash has long been a fixture on Canada’s national basketball teams, taking his place with pride while many other players chose to sit out the grueling preliminary games, not wishing to bother with a situation in which they saw no upside for their professional careers.

It was largely on the strength of Nash’s play that Canada made it to the quarter finals of the 2000 Olympics. His dedication to the national program is legendary, playing with pride every time he put on the Maple Leaf. He was perhaps the most disappointed Canadian at the Olympics that year when Canada came up short in its medal bid.

His statistics in the NBA speak for themselves, presently leading the league in assists at 168 he’s a dominant player whenever he takes to the court. Recognized last year as the league’s MVP, receiving the Marsh trophy seems like a natural fit for him this year.

Across Canada, a whole new generation of kids has taken up basketball, with dreams of becoming the next Steve Nash. Considering his demeanor both on and off the court, parents couldn’t hope for a better role model. Basketball Canada posted a number of letters sent to them when Nash was named NBA MVP, showing how much respect his homeland had for their quiet hero.

The panelists on the Marsh committee made the right choice this year. If anyone embodies good sportsmanship and good citizenship its Steve Nash, this award is long overdue.

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