Northern Star Award | |
---|---|
![]() Wayne Gretzky has won the most Lou Marsh Awards with 4 wins | |
Given for | Top athlete in Canada |
History | |
First award | 1936 |
First winner | Phil Edwards (Track and field) |
Most wins | Wayne Gretzky (4) (Ice hockey) |
Most recent | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Basketball) |
The Northern Star Award is a trophy that is given to the top athlete in Canada. It is voted on by sports media from across the country. The award was first named the Lou Marsh Trophy, Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and the Lou Marsh Award after well-known Canadian athlete and Toronto Sun sports editor Lou Marsh.
On November 16, 2022, the award would be renamed after racist language that Marsh used became known.[1]
The trophy was first awarded in 1936 to track and field runner Phil Edwards, who had won a bronze medal at the Olympics that year.[2] The award has been won the most time by hockey player Wayne Gretzky with four wins (1982, 1983, 1985, 1989).[3] There have been two ties in the history of the Northern Star Award. Swimmer Graham Smith and alpine skier Ken Read both tied in 1978, as well as, soccer player Alphonso Davies and American football player Laurent Duvernay-Tardif both winning in 2020.[4]
The current holder of the Northern Star Award is basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.[5]