Joey Votto wins Lou Marsh Trophy

TORONTO Given Canada’s love for all things hockey, Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto was as surprised to win the Lou Marsh Trophy a second time as he was the first.

The 34-year-old first baseman from Toronto was chosen by a panel of sports journalists from across Canada as the country’s athlete of the year in 2017.

Votto also got the nod in 2010 for the award, which is named after a former Toronto Star sports editor.

“Whenever I hear I’m up for this award or that I’m considered amongst a group of athletes, typically, it’s a gaggle of hockey players and then a few different athletes, both male and female in other sports,” Votto said Tuesday on a conference call.

“I usually think ‘well, it will likely go to the male hockey player’ and I think winning it a second time, especially amongst so many talented Canadian hockey players is another achievement.”

Other 2017 finalists were cross-country skier Alex Harvey, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, curler Rachel Homan and moguls skier Mikael Kingsbury.

Swimmer Penny Oleksiak captured the honour in 2016. “It’s a very big deal to me,” Votto said. “When I won it the first time, I had to look at the list and look at all the different athletes, male, female, different sports. I was in awe of the company I was lucky enough to join. “Now that I’ve won it a second time, the same sort of thing, I had to look it up again and see all the wonderful names that I’ve joined.” Votto came within a whisker of winning his second National League MVP award this season, losing to Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton by just two points.