Hockey is a sport where the forwards and goaltenders get the majority of the attention and then whatever is left goes to the defense. With the exception of big time players like Pronger and Chara, your casual hockey fans rarely notice the defenseman unless they make a huge mistake.  Even less attention is given to those defenders who are not goal scorers.  With the Flyers Captain out indefinitely with concussion issues, the young flyers team has looked to veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen. He wears one of the Alternate Captain (A) patch and is very quietly one of the team’s most important players. His leadership and savvy defensive play land him at #13 on BLN’s best athlete in Philadelphia.  

On most teams, you can look at a team’s leading scorer and that is usually the team’s best player. That is simply not the case in Philly. Coming into the season, any Sixers fan knew that the only way this team could compete with the NBA’s best is to play solid defense and play team basketball. Andre Iguodala has been at the center of that exact philosophy. He can score as well as getting his teammates involved and the 8 year veteran has turned into one of the premier defenders in the NBA. His amazing athletic ability and his lockdown defense land him at #15 on BLN’s 2012 Best Athlete in Philadelphia.  

Canada prides itself as being the birthplace of hockey. They provide 50% of the players to the NHL, the best professional league in the world. Growing up in a small town in Canada you grow up playing hockey. After school heading to the closest pond, shoveling the snow off the ice and playing till dusk. Hockey is in your DNA, it is piped into your blood. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada, our #16 Best in Philly Athlete, is Canadian through and through. #16 on our list is Flyers left winger Scott Hartnell.