NHL Awards recognize the leagues best players, coaches

by Ralph Schwarz
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, June 14, 2007

The 2006-07 NHL season will officially conclude tonight with the annual NHL Awards ceremony.

This yearly event not only recognizes the best players and coaches of the past (regular) season, but it also gives the league the chance to celebrate the history of the game.

Whoever could forget the touching moment when the great Maurice “Rocket” Richard entered the stage in 1999 to present the trophy named in his honor to the league’s top goal scorer, which was handed out for the first time ever, to Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

As every year, there is a lot of speculation who will win what award. So here is my take on who should win and who will win at this week’s NHL Awards.

Hart Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby and goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo are in contention for the Hart Trophy, which recognizes the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. Who should win: Luongo. On an offensively-challenged team, the 28-year-old goaltender turned out to be the difference on most nights as he helped the Vancouver Canucks to 47 victories and a rather unexpected playoff berth. However, playing for a West Coast team didn’t give him the exposure that he rightfully deserved. Who will win: Crosby. “Sid the Kid” not only developed into the marquee player everybody thought he would be, he also carried a talent-loaded Pittsburgh Penguins team into the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

James Norris Memorial Trophy: Detroit Red Wing Nicklas Lidstrom and the Anaheim Ducks blueliners Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer vie for the Norris Trophy, which is awarded to the defenseman who demonstrates the greatest all-around ability in his position. Who should win: Niedermayer. Don Cherry considers the Ducks captain the best defenseman since Bobby Orr. Throughout the season, Niedermayer impressed with his strong two-way game, his effortless skating and his ability to make the right play at the right time. Who will win: Niedermayer.

Vezina Trophy: Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff and the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist are up against Brodeur and Luongo for the trophy handed out to the goalkeeper who is considered to be the best at his position. Who should win: If you make a case that goaltending is all about consistency, Luongo should be the logical choice. As explained before, his consistent and often spectacular game was the main reason why the Canucks made it to the playoffs in the first place. Who will win: Brodeur. The numbers speak for the 35-year-old New Jersey netminder who had a single-season NHL-record with 48 victories. He also led the league with 12 shutouts and ranked third with a 2.18 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

Frank J. Selke Trophy: Awarded to the top defensive forward of the league, the race for this year’s Selke Trophy might be one that’s actually too close to call with Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jay Pandolfo of the New Jersey Devils and Samuel Pahlsson of the Anaheim Ducks being the nominees. Who should win: Prior to this year’s Western Conference finals, not that many self-proclaimed hockey experts were aware of the in-your-face checking game of Pahlsson. At 5-foot, 11-inches, the Swedish forward showed great grit and tenacity going against the other teams’ top lines. Who will win: Brind’Amour. Widely considered to be the best defensive forward, Brind’Amour has the numbers to back up his intangibles. During the 2006-07 season, he took 2,047 faceoffs and ranked second by winning 59.2 percent of his draws. In addition, he had 26 goals and 82 points on a team that struggled from the get-go and became the first defending Stanley Cup champion since the 1995 Devils to miss the playoffs.

Calder Memorial Trophy: NHL freshmen Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, both from the Pittsburgh Penguins, compete with Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche for the trophy awarded to the NHL rookie of the year. Who should win: Stastny. A product of the U.S. collegiate hockey system, the 21-year-old son of Hall-of-Famer Peter Stastny shone brightly on an otherwise dismal Colorado team. Not only did he finish with 28 goals and 78 points in 82 games, he also led all NHL players and broke the rookie record with a 20-game point streak from Feb. 3 to March 17. Who will win: Malkin. Being the unanimous choice for the Calder at the start of the 2007 season, 20-year-old Russian delivered on a Penguins team loaded with young talents as he topped all rookies with 30 goals and 85 points.

Jack Adams Trophy: Buffalo fans will pay special attention to this award, given to the head coach judged to have contributed most to the success of his team, since the nominees include Sabres’ head coach Lindy Ruff as well as Pittsburgh’s Michel Therrien and Vancouver’s Alain Vigneault. Who should win: Ruff. From the beginning to the end of the regular season, the Sabres were the hottest team in the NHL. That the Sabres stayed hot had to do with Ruff’s coaching, which kept the team on even keel and the players focused. Buffalo finished the regular season with a 53-22-7 record and 113 points, three points better than a year ago. Their 308 goals were 20 better than any other NHL team this season. Who will win: Therrien. Having to work with a team loaded with talent can be both a gift and a curse. While nobody disputed the Penguins’ extraordinary talent, most hockey observers did not expect much from this young and inexperienced squad at the outset of the 2006-07 season. Under Therrien’s guidance, however, this team made an enormous stride forward and made the playoffs as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference.

Ralph Schwarz is the former editor of the Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune.