Ask any sports enthusiast to name the hottest sport and the current star in Canada and undoubtedly the answers will be: hockey and Sidney Crosby. It's no wonder 'Sid the Kid' tops the charts for the most searched athlete of 2009. Consider the year he's had: Becoming the youngest captain in NHL history to hoist the Stanley Cup, being third in the NHL scoring leaders, and arriving home to a hero's welcome in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, to share in the Stanley Cup's glory. In November, Crosby was mobbed (in a good way) by an adoring crowd as he ran through the streets of Halifax with the Olympic flame. 2010 already looks bright for the young star with a certain spot on Team Canada for the Vancouver Olympics -- and just maybe a repeat Stanley Cup championship.

2009 saw searches spike for three strong and beautiful women who, despite not being top in their sports, managed to gain the attention of Canadian fans.

Gina Carano is considered the 'Face of Women's MMA' and her star power only grew over past year after being named 'Yahoo!'s 5th most Influential Woman of 2008.' Although she lost her big battle of the year in a knock-out fight against Cristiane Santos, buzz around this female fighter continues to grow. Watch a profile of Gina.

Veteran tennis star Maria Sharapova saw a return to the court after a lengthy hiatus due to a shoulder injury. Canadians followed the Russian tennis star's slow recovery and eventual climb up the WTA rankings where she ended the tennis season just outside of the top 10. Expect bigger and better performance for Sharapova in the coming year.

Another Russian attracting a lot of attention is the young golfer Maria Verchenova. Like her tennis namesake and hero, Verchenova isn't as well known for her golfing ability as she is for her stunning good looks. However, Maria is tipped to be the next big golf star in the LPGA and 2010 may be her breakout year.

And what Year in Review list would be complete without golf's biggest star, Tiger Woods? Returning from an injury-plagued season in 2008, Tiger dazzled fans with his golfing brilliance and charmed the media in every country he visited. However, guessing from his recent car crash, a future career in motor racing is doubtful.

Rounding out the top ten are tennis' main male superstars (and rivals), a boxing legend and two of soccer's biggest names who continue to make headlines wherever they go.

Who will be buzzing in 2010? With the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, here's hoping that next year's list of names is filled with Canadian gold medalists.