BY WEB STAFF
sportsnet.ca

Be it the booming bat of Jason Bay or the smooth strides of Christine Nesbitt, it's time to pick Canada's greatest athlete of 2009.

Simply drag and drop your selections onto the rankings to make your pick. You need to rank at least your top three candidates for your vote to count.

You can double-click on any thumbnail for a larger view.

Your favourite athlete can't win if you don't vote so start clicking!

Read more of their individual accomplishments of 2009 underneath the rankings poll.

Instructions:

Drag and drop the thumbnails onto the rankings to vote. You must select at least your Top 3.

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Athlete: Sidney Crosby

Hometown: Cole Harbour, N.S.

Sport: Hockey

2009: The 22-year-old became the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup when his Penguins defeated the favoured Red Wings in seven games. Crosby had 15 goals and 31 points in the playoffs after finishing third in the regular season with 103 points, the third time in his four seasons he has topped the 100-point mark.

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Athlete: Mike Green

Hometown: Calgary

Sport: Hockey

2009: The Washington Capital easily led all NHL defencemen in scoring with 31 goals and 73 points, including an eight-game goal-scoring streak, setting a new NHL record for a defenceman. He was a key cog on the blue line for the Southeast Division-winning Capitals.

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Athlete: Daniel Nestor

Hometown: Toronto

Sport: Tennis

2009: Though recently turned 37, Nestor, along with his partner, Nenad Zimonjic, won nine doubles titles in 2009, including their second consecutive Wimbledon championship. Nestor spent most of the year ranked No. 1 in doubles.

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Athlete: Jason Bay

Hometown: Trail, B.C.

Sport: Baseball

2009: The Boston Red Sox outfielder won his first Silver Slugger Award after finishing second in the American League with 119 RBIs and third in home runs with 36. Both were career highs for the 31-year-old.

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Athlete: Christine Nesbitt

Hometown: London, Ont.

Sport: Long-track speedskating

2009: Nesbitt was dominant on the 2008-09 World Cup circuit, winning individual gold at the world championships in the 1,000 metres and bronze in the 1,500 metres, as well as gold in the team pursuit. She leads this season’s World Cup standings in both the 1,000 and 1,500 metres.

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Athlete: George St. Pierre

Hometown: Montreal

Sport: Mixed Martial Arts

2009: The 2008 Sportsnet Athlete of the Year continued his dominance in the UFC welterweight division, successfully defending his title twice. He dominated B.J. Penn in January and then defeated Thiago Alves in July.

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Athlete: Alexandre Bilodeau

Hometown: Rosemere, Que.

Sport: Freestyle skiing

2009: Bilodeau was dominant on the World Cup moguls circuit last winter, finishing first six times -- including gold in dual moguls at the world championships -- and second three times.

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Athlete: Joey Votto

Hometown: Toronto, Ont.

Sport: Baseball

2009: The third-year first baseman with the Cincinnati Reds triumped over a bout of depression, brought on by the death of his father in 2008, to finish the season with a .322 batting average, 25 home runs and 84 RBI.