Thoughts from Yesterday's NHL Awards

Can't you tell that I'm in hockey withdrawal when the thing I lead off with isn't the U.S. futbol team wins to make it into the knocout round?  Wait, I just did, but that's as far as I will go in this piece.  Last night was the NHL awards ceremony in Las Vegas, and like the years past, the NHL made sure to make a big deal out of it.  It doesn't drag out naming its winners well after the season is over like the MLB does (good thing), and it doesn't name its winners while the playoffs like the NFL and NBA do (bad thing), but the one thing that the NHL has going for itself is that it brings the glamour to the awards, even if most of the people have no idea how the awards got the names.

I'll try to keep this short, so here were the winners from last night, with my thoughts attached:

Calder Trophy (rookie of the year): Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres
I am not surprised at this selection, though I thought the voting would be a little closer.

Selke Trophy (defensive forward): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

Disappointed that Ryan Kesler didn't win, but there is a reason why Datsyuk has won this trophy for a few years running now.

Jack Adams (coach): Dave Tippett, Phoenix Coyotes

No surprise here.  Having an uncertain ownership and team future in Phoenix and succeeding in making the playoffs is cause for a near unanimous vote.

Lady Byng (most gentlemanly player): Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning

Any of the finalists (St. Louis, Datsyuk, Brad Richards) could have walked away with this trophy, but St. Louis' six penalties broke the tie, as they were the least number of penalties taken.

Vezina (goalie): Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

I thought the voting would be much closer than it was, as Ilya Bryzgalov certainly deserved this trophy as well.  The Olympic performance of Miller must have put him over the top.

Norris (defenseman): Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

Right choice, although I wonder how Mike Green finished ahead of Drew Doughty.  Green has a bad habit of disappearing during the biggest games while Doughty shows up for the big games.

Hart (MVP): Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

This was the right choice.  Ovechkin finishing ahead of Crosby is a bit of a mystery, since Crosby put the Penguins on his back when Malkin had bouts of inconsistency.

Other award winners:

Masterton (perseverance): Jose Theodore, Washington Capitals
Mark Messier Leadership Award: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Art Ross (most points): Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Maurice "Rocket" Richard (most goals): Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
King Clancy (humanitarian): Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes
Ted Lindsay (MVP as voted by players): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals