and a hockey fan is born… ;-)

Originally uploaded by Elan Photography.

For the past seven days, the Metroblogging sites around the globe have been unveiling seven gifts their cities can share with the world - one gift a day for seven days. Joe Sakic was one of the gifts that didn’t quite make the cut.

I’ve seen Joe Sakic [wp] play in person, and on television he’s always amazing. There’s something about the way a great player can change the momentum of a hockey game that needs to be seen to be believed, and Joe Sakic is a great player. If he had not come of age in an NHL still remembering Gretzky’s glory days and Mario’s brilliance then we would have seen that sooner.

A one team player he moved with the Nordiques to Denver when they became the Avalanche and along with former Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy changed the NHL. They showed that a relocated franchise could thrive in a non-hockey environment and built inroads into America while building a franchise.

He was a vital part of bringing the Olympic Gold to Canada (the tournament’s MVP), and has been a mainstay in any of our national team and the NHL All-Star Teams. He’s the highest scoring active player in the NHL, and still has the ability to take over a game and make it his.

History will put Sakic in the upper end of the top players ever to play. He’s the best player Vancouver’s ever birthed and something for even the most die hard Canucks fan to be proud of.