Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir named CP team of the year

Ice dance darlings Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have been named The Canadian Press team of the year for 2018.

The duo captivated the country and received world-wide praise for their gold-medal performance at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Virtue and Moir received 39 of 54 votes in a poll of writers, broadcasters and editors from across the country.

“It’s so incredible, I was looking back at the history of this (award) to get some perspective and just trying to understand how 10 months later people still seem to care, or remember us, and it’s a great moment to reflect,” Virtue told The Canadian Press. “Of course it’s the end of the year, but 10 months after the Games, it’s a nice chance to just take a moment and reflect on the impact at the Olympics had across Canada.”

The Canadian pair are the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history. Virtue, from London, Ont., and Moir, from Ilderton, Ont, have been partners for two decades and became Canada’s sweethearts after they claimed gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

They stepped away from the sport for two seasons after their silver in Sochi, returning in 2018 chasing the dream of gold in South Korea.

The Canadian Press says the country’s junior hockey team that won gold at the 2018 world junior championship in Buffalo came in second with five of 54 votes, while Laval’s football team that went undefeated and captured the Vanier Cup was third with four votes.