The Port McNeill native has won Sport sa国际传媒鈥檚 2012 Best of sa国际传媒 Award, voted online by the public and given annually to the province鈥檚 top athlete.
Mitchell, who hoisted the Stanley Cup last spring as a defensive stalwart for the Los Angeles Kings, edged 2012 London Summer Olympics bronze-medallist soccer standout Christine Sinclair of Burnaby in online voting, which closed Tuesday at midnight.
鈥淗onoured to win,鈥� tweeted Mitchell, who thanked those who voted for him.
At total of 7,629 votes were cast, of which Mitchell received 57 per cent and Sinclair 39 per cent.
The last Island athlete to win the award before Mitchell was two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash of Victoria in 2006, in a tie that year with MLB star Justin Morneau of New Westminster.
Also nominated for 2012, but finishing behind the two runaway leaders in public balloting, were Mario Gutierrez, the jockey out of Hastings Park who came close to riding to the Triple Crown last year; 2012 Giro d鈥橧talia cycling champion Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria; London Olympics silver-medallist swimmer Ryan Cochrane of Victoria; and rising NHL star-in-the-making Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Burnaby.
The award will be handed out at the 47th annual Sport sa国际传媒 athlete of the year awards March 7 at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond.
The inaugural Best of sa国际传媒 Award went to MLB National League MVP Larry Walker of Maple Ridge in 1992. Last year鈥檚 winner was kicker Paul McCallum of the sa国际传媒 Lions. Walker has won the award four times and Nash and Joe Sakic three times each. Other Islanders to have won it include figure-skating great Victor Kraatz and Ironman Hawaii world champion triathlon legends Lori Bowden and Peter Reid.
