Georges St-Pierre Headlines Nominees for Sportsnet’s Ninth Annual Canadian Athlete of the Year

-Fan voting begins today on sportsnet.ca-

-Latest edition of Sportsnet magazine features articles advocating all six of this year’s nominees-

-Winner will be announced in the December 8 issue of Sportsnet magazine-

TORONTO (November 10, 2011) – Georges St-Pierre faces his stiffest competition yet, as he looks to win his fourth consecutive title as Sportsnet’s Canadian Athlete of the Year.

The nominees in the ninth annual competition include St-Pierre, shotputter Dylan Armstrong, figure skater Patrick Chan, soccer star Christine Sinclair, reigning NHL MVP Corey Perry and Cincinnati Reds slugger Joey Votto.

Previous winners of the award include St-Pierre, Penguins’ star Sidney Crosby, Olympic speed skater Cindy Klassen, NBA point guard Steve Nash, Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla and 2003 Masters winner Mike Weir.

Coverage kicks off in the latest edition of Sportsnet magazine with articles by Stephen Brunt, Scott Morrison, Michael Grange, Evanka Osmak, Steve Maich and Roger Jackson advocating for each of the nominees.

Fans can vote for their favourite nominee at sportsnet.ca starting today. The voting page includes vignettes for each of the athletes, while the Fan Fuel blog provides a place for users to debate the merits of each nominee.

To cast your vote for Sportsnet’s Ninth Annual Canadian Athlete of the Year go to this URL: http://bit.ly/rZMKRj

During Sportsnet 590 The FAN Prime Time Sports on Thursday, Nov. 10 and Friday, Nov. 11, a panel of experts will discuss with Bob McCown who deserves the Athlete of the Year title.

Starting November 27, Sportsnet Connected will air testimonials for each of the six nominees. These will run daily until December 2.

The winner will be announced on December 8 with features on Sportsnet Connected and sportsnet.ca and in Sportsnet magazine.

About Sportsnet

Sportsnet connects Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes, using five platforms: TV, Radio, Print, Online and Mobile. Sportsnet is Fuelled By Fans, and delivers storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level.  The multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet magazine, Sportsnet Mobile and the Sportsnet iPad app.  Sportsnet is the Canadian leader in NHL and MLB television broadcasts and is home to 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, plus MLB Playoffs and the World Series. Sportsnet is an official broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and also offers an exciting sports lineup including the NFL, the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, the Memorial Cup, and soccer programming with UEFA Champions League, Barclays Premier League, MLS Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Canadian national team matches for men and women. Sportsnet Connected is the network’s nightly news program, providing regional and national coverage of the day’s events in the world of sports.

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