It's never easy to form a consensus in a country as geographically vast and socially and culturally diverse as Canada, but we're as close as we'll ever get to unanimous on the defining moment in Canadian sports in 2010.
Sidney Crosby's overtime goal in the gold medal game at the Vancouver Winter Olympics easily ranks as one of the three most memorable moments in Canadian hockey history, alongside Paul Henderson's winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series and Mario Lemieux's '87 Canada Cup clincher.
But as inspirational sports stories go, Crosby's heroics are not even in the top five in 2010.
Figure skater Joannie Rochette's Olympic experience was as uplifting as it was tragic - a bronze medal performance in the immediate aftermath of her mother's sudden death.
Fellow Quebecer Alex Bilodeau dedicated his gold medal in moguls to his brother, Frederic, who suffers from cerebral palsy and whose courage and resolve Bilodeau says have made Frederic his hero since childhood.
Anthony Calvillo led the Alouettes to a second consecutive Grey Cup title knowing he faced imminent surgery to remove what turned out to be cancer cells in his thyroid, and with typical humility and selflessness, Calvillo kept the news quiet so his teammates could focus on football.
Toronto born-and-raised Joey Votto won the National League MVP Award for the Cincinnati Reds a year after being diagnosed with depression and anxiety so severe that he was hospitalized on two occasions.
Pat Burns demonstrated poise, dignity and even humour in the face of insurmountable adversity, and gave us all a bittersweet lesson in how to go out with your boots on.
From Olympic gold medals to moral sustenance for the spirit, Canadian sports gave us a rich legacy in 2010, and made it a year that should be remembered at least as much for the character of Canadian competitors as it is for their competitive results.
