Page 30 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 156

Issue #156 January 2026
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30 Issue #156 January 2026 www.sportsenergynews.com
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Energy News presents Sports Panel
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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
In your opinion, what was the top sports story in 2025?
Peter Collins - Sports Enthusiast - If we are going for Canadian content, there are a couple of stories that highlighted
the sports scene. The Blue Jays captured the attention of baseball fans because of their exciting brand of play. But
coming up a few outs short of the World Series title prevented them from getting my vote for top story. That title goes
to a Canadian playing in the NBA known as SGA. While only four percent of NBA basketball players are Canadian
(compared to forty percent of NHLers), Torontonian SGA has made an enormous impact on the round ball scene.
Incidentally, in today’s world if you are known by your initials, that means that you have made it to the big leagues.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an incredible 2025. He was the league MVP and the regular season points per game
leader. His dominance continued into the playoffs where he was the points leader and playoff MVP. To top everything
off he led his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to the NBA championship. With those accomplishments, Shai joins
Jordan, Jabbar, and O’Neal as the only players to complete such an incredible achievement.

Jake Lapierre -Conditioning Coach - The 2025 sports year has been a mix of great headline-grabbing storylines.
Notable stories include events such as the Stanley Cup showdown between the Oilers and Panthers, which had fans
from coast to coast anticipating Stanleys return to Canada, or the men’s hockey elite 4 Nations (Finland, Sweden,
USA, and Canada) tournament, where Canada’s victory reinforced the country’s dominance on the ice. However, to

address this months Sports Energy News Sports Panel question, we have to step off the ice and onto the turf. That’s
right; the ball park, to review the top 2025 sports story.
The Toronto Blue Jays enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in recent franchise history, finishing with a 94–68
record to win the American League East for the first time since 2015. The Jays ranked among the league’s best in
hits, batting average, and on-base metrics. Toronto defeated the New York Yankees in the Division Series, advanced
through the ALCS, and reached the World Series for the first time since 1993. Although the Toronto Blue Jays just
fell short of defeating the Dodgers in a competitive seven-game Fall Classic, the game was truly epic. ESPN Sports
writer, Tim Kurkjjan, wrote, “With apologies to 1991, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays just finished
the greatest World Series ever played.” https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46824017/2025-world-series-dodgers-
blue-jays-greatest-ever-tim-kurkjian
The Jays performance and accomplishments were widely celebrated, earning them Team of the Year honours and

reinvigorated baseball enthusiasm in Canada.
is moving in the right direction and like many fans, I’m certainly looking forward to a 2026 repeat.

Jim Riddell - Seaway Karate Club - It’s a difficult task to win one league championship in any of the NFL, NHL,
or MLB, but this year three of our top sports stories featured teams attempting multiple consecutive championships.
At Super LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, denying the Chief’s attempt to three-
peat. In the Stanley Cup final, the Florida Panthers went back to back, winning their second straight championship
over the Edmonton Oilers. The top story for 2025 was the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series vs the Los Angeles
Dodgers. LA was attempting to become the first MLB team in 25 years to capture consecutive World Series victories.

The Dodgers were successful, but the Blue Jays didn’t make it easy for them. One game went 18 innings, and Game
7 went into extra innings with the Dodgers winning 5-4. It came right down to the final out in the bottom of the 11th
inning. This game has been called the most exciting Game 7 in World Series history. A new World Series record was
also set for the total number of innings played at 74. What a series!