December 26/12 9:08 am - Hesjedal Wins Lionel Conacher Award

Posted by Editoress on 12/26/12
 

Ryder Hesjedal has become the first cyclist to be named the Canadian Press male athlete of the year.  The CP award, named after Lionel Conacher, Canada's athlete of the first half of the twentieth century, is voted upon by sports editor and broadcasters from across Canada.

Hesjedal finished first with 139 points and 32 first-place votes, followed by tennis star Milos Raonic with with 131 points and 26 first-place votes.  Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish was third (87, 14), Tampa Bay Lightning hockey star Steven Stamkos (69, 12) fourth and figure skater Patrick Chan (68, 11) rounded out the top five.

Last week, Hesjedal was named Canadian Cyclist of the Year for the third time in four years, as well as having the Best Individual Performance of the year.