NHL Awards, Part 2

The NHL announced the final player awards on Saturday, June 15th. This is an overview of the awards presented on that day (in no particular order), and an occasional personal (non-professional) opinion on them.

Hart Memorial Trophy

One of the most coveted player awards, the Hart Trophy (MVP) goes to the player deemed most valuable to his team. The finalists this year were Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, and John Tavares of the New York Islanders. Ovechkin was the winner of this award, not missing a single game this season for the Capitals and leading the league goals. He also finished first in power play goals and shots, and came in third for overall points. Both Crosby and Tavares put up a good fight for the Hart, but Ovechkin was the clear choice for this award, showing both leadership and skill while guiding the Capitals to clinch the Southeast Division. 

Vezina Trophy

The Vezina is awarded to the league's best goaltender, as decided by the league's general managers. This year's finalists were Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks, and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky was the winner, carrying his Blue Jackets the closest they have come to the playoffs in a very long time. He tied for 5th for GAA (Goals Allowed Average) with Bruin's goaltender Tuuka Rask, and came in 2nd for Save % (after Craig Andersson of the Senators, who only played 24 games to Bobrovsky's 38). Lundqvist, as usual, makes a strong argument for this award, putting up solid numbers all season long and playing 43 out of 48 games this regular season. Niemi, too, put up a good season, though ended up below the former players in GAA and SV%.
If I were Columbus' GM, Jarmo Kekäläinen, I would be excited for this award because it may entice Bobrovsky to stay in the NHL despite quality offers from many KHL teams. 

James Norris Memorial Trophy

The Norris Trophy is given to the best defensemen in the league. The finalists this year were Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens, and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild. Subban won the award, finishing 1st in points for defensemen with 38. Letang also got 38 points, but Subban played less games because of a contract dispute at the beginning of the season. Suter finished third in points for defensmen. Subban helped Montreal beat out Boston for the Northeast division title. 

Calder Memorial Trophy

The Calder Trophy goes to the league's best rookie. The finalists were Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers, and Brandon Saad of the Chicago Blackhawks. Huberdeau won the award, tallying 31 points (14 G, 17 A) and acquiring only 18 penalty minutes. There were many outstanding rookies this year in the league, but Huberdeau managed to excel even while playing on the worst team in the league (statistically).

Ted Lindsay Award

The Ted Lindsay Award is presented to the league's most outstanding player as decided by the NHLPA (the NHL Players Association). It comes with a sense of pride to know that your fellow teammates and rivals alike have come to some sort of conclusion that you are, indeed, the best. This year's finalists were Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, and Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sidney Crosby won the award, ending his regular season with 56 points and a +/- of +26, in only 36 games because of a broken jaw. Say what you will about Crosby, he is an outstanding player, and I'm not about to argue with the hockey players that voted for him. 

NHL Awards, Part 1

This year, the NHL Awards show is a little different. Usually, it's a red carpet event, with players all converging in one place, reminiscent of the Oscars or the Emmys, except with with more missing teeth. But because of the lockout, the NHL Awards this year has been shortened to a couple of commentators announcing each award, and going to phone interviews with the winners. Not nearly as exciting. But, at least the NHL didn't take away awards all together. So without further ado, here are the awards that were announced on 6/14/13, and my view on them.

Frank J. Selke Trophy

The Selke Trophy is awarded to the best defensive forward in the league. The nominees were Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Boston's Patrice Bergeron, and Chicago's Jonathan Toews. Toews won the award, Bergeron placing 2nd, Datsyuk in 3rd. This would be a tough category for anyone to judge, all three of these players playing exceptionally. Bergeron finished with less points (32) than both Datsyuk (49) and Toews (48), but he also played less games in the regular season (42). Datsyuk and Toews both played 47. All three players finished the season with their +/- stat in the 20's. You can't argue against any of these guys, they're all deserving of this award. You could point at stats like faceoff percentages (in which Bergeron led the NHL) and such, but all in all, any of these three would be a good choice. Congratulations are due to Toews for winning this year's Selke Trophy. 

Jack Adams Award

The Jack Adams award is presented to the NHL coach who it is deemed contributed most to his organization's success. The nominees were Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, Paul Maclean of the Ottawa Senators, and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks. The winner of the award is Paul MacLean. He definitely deserves it most out of these three men. MacLean led his teams to the playoffs despite numerous injuries to key players like Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, and Erik Karlsson. Boudreau did bring the Ducks to the playoffs, but they did not face as much adversary as the Senators. Quenneville is of course a strong argument, leading his Blackhawks to the President's Trophy and now the Stanley Cup finals. But is it that impressive when you have a team like the Hawks? Right now, they could make it to the Finals without a coach. 

General Manager of the Year

This one is self explanatory, it's awarded to the best NHL GM of the year. What's interesting about this one is that unlike the other awards that are voted on solely by NHL executives, this award also allows the 30 GM's to put their vote in. This year's nominees were Marc Bergevin of the Montreal Canadiens, Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks, and Ray Shero of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shero won the award, probably because of his wheeling and dealing around the trade deadline. I personally do not think he is deserving of the award. Despite his marvelous acquisitions, the Pens got swept in the 2nd round against the Bruins. This alone would not disregard him as best GM. But Shero made a mistake somewhere, and now half his team are free agents, and he only has $8mil to spare in cap space to sign players like Brenden Morrow, Jarome Iginla, and Matt Cooke. If it were me making the decision, this award should have gone to Marc Bergevin, who brought the Canadiens to their first Northeast Division title since 2008 in his first "full" season of management. 

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

The Lady Byng is awarded to the player who is judged to have been the most sportsmanlike and displays gentlemanly conduct at all times, along with maintaining a high standard of play. Or, as we hockey fans like to say, the classiest player. The nominees this year were Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks, Matt Moulson of the Islanders, and Martin St. Louis of the Lightning. St. Louis won the award. He had only 14 PIM (still more than the other two finalists), but led the league in points (60). St. Louis is the 9th player to win the Lady Byng at least three times.

Bill Masterton Trophy

This trophy is awarded by the Professional Hockey Writer's Association to the player who best exemplifies perseverance and dedication to hockey. The nominees where Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, Josh Harding of the Wild, and Adam McQuaid of the Bruins. Harding won the award, after being diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) which can cause balance problems, blurry vision, and fatigue. Harding worked hard despite his condition, and posted a shutout in his first start of the season. He only played 5 regular season games, and 5 playoff games. But his dedication to always be there for his team made him a worthy winner. As for the other finalists, Crosby was sidelined for a good amount of this season with a broken jaw. He finished tied third for overall points with rival Alex Ovechkin. Our other finalist, Adam McQuaid, battled Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which caused him to have surgery to get a blood clot in his arm removed, along with a rib and some muscle in his neck. He was supposed to be out for the season, but was able to join the Bruins in their season opener. He played only 32 games, getting 1 goal but 60 PIM.

Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award

This one's a mouthful. Actually dubbed the Mark Messier Leadership Award presented by Bridgestone, this award is given "to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season." Though recommendations come from NHL executives and fans alike, Mark Messier himself chooses the winner of this award. Messier is a Hall of Fame NHL player, known for nicknames such as "The Messiah" and "The Moose." His finalists were Daniel Alfredsson of the Senators, Dustin Brown of the Kings, and Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks. All three men exemplify leadership on and off the ice, volunteering in their communities regularly and providing guidance in the locker room. Alfredsson is the longest active captain, and also the winner of this award. He works with many charities and supports the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. Senator's goalie, Craig Anderson, says this about Alfredsson:
"He's a leader by example and when he does talk you listen."
Although Alfredsson won this award, here's a fun fact about nominee Dustin Brown: For the past 8 seasons, he has donated $50 for each hit to causes such as the Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.


Two other notable award winners are Red Wing's Henrik Zetterberg and Bruin's Patrice Bergeron. Zetterberg won the NHL Foundation Player Award for his work in the community. They provided him with a $20,000 donation to his foundation, which he plans to match to build three water wells in a needy town in Ethiopia.
Bergeron won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership qualities and noticeable effort to improve and help his community.

NHL Awards, Pt. 2 is coming tomorrow! Stay tuned for analysis of the winners of the Calder Memorial Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award, the Vezina Trophy, and more.