May 1, 2007

Pick Me! Pick Me!

Today the NHL announced the finalists for the league's many individual awards, and of course the usual suspects are on the list. I wonder how many total nominations guys like Nick Lidstrom and Martin Brodeur have received over the years, not to mention the actual awards they've taken home.

Anyway, the list, with my personal picks in red:

Hart Trophy
Sidney Crosby, Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur

Calder Trophy
Jordan Staal, Paul Stastny, Evgeni Malkin

Selke Trophy
Rod Brind'Amour, Samuel Pahlsson, Jay Pandolfo

Norris Trophy
Nicklas Lidstrom, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger

Lester Pearson Award
Vincent Lecavalier, Sidney Crosby, Roberto Luongo

Vezina Trophy
Martin Brodeur, Mikka Kiprusoff, Roberto Luongo, Henrik Lundqvist

Lady Byng Trophy
Joe Sakic, Pavel Datsyuk, Martin St. Louis

Jack Adams Award
Lindy Ruff, Michel Therrien, Alain Vigneault


It's good to see a couple of Avalanche players among the nominees, and while he's got good competition, Sakic deserves the Byng. There's not a more classy player in the league than Super Joe.

As for the Calder, there's a strong case for a Paul Stastny upset of Evgeni Malkin, especially since Son Of Peter set the new rookie consecutive game scoring streak this season and played a major role in the Avs' late-season run. Malkin put it in cruise control near the end and didn't look quite as good as he did at the start. But Malkin was phenomenal overall, and is simply more talented than Stastny, and deserves to be rookie of the year.

Speaking of Penguins, I just don't think Lindy Ruff should beat out Therrien for coach of the year. It would be nearly impossible for any coach to lose with the kind of depth and raw talent Ruff has with the Sabres---anything less than the Cup will be an outrage. Therrien took a bunch of kids and completely reversed their fate, turning a terrible team lucky to win 20 games into a powerhouse that easily surpassed 40 victories. Therrien is the winner, hands-down.

All in all, a good group of nominees. I can't think of any really deserving players that got left out this year, but I'm sure someone, somewhere can complain.

6 comments:

  1. JibblescribbitsMay 1, 2007 at 3:33 PM

    Malkin can have the Calder.. after watching his poor uninspired play in the playoffs I'd rather have Stastny over Malkin any day.

    So give Malkin the trophy, we'll have the better player

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Lord StanleyMay 1, 2007 at 3:48 PM

    I really think Paul Stastny is going to develop into a true team player like Joe Thornton. The kind of guy that completely changes every player on the ice with him. Son Of Peter showed signs of that already this year and I think being taught how to play in the NHL by guys like Joe Sakic and Ian Laperriere is going to pay off in the long run for him.

    I couldn't be more excited about having someone of Paul Stastny's ability and drive on the Avs. The future looks good.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JibblescribbitsMay 1, 2007 at 5:50 PM

    Kopitar in LA should have been a Calder finalist over Staal.

    Also after watching the SJ-Red Wings series, I can't believe Grier or Barnes aren't Selke finalists

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 1, 2007 at 9:56 PM

    Dear Lord Stanley,

    I'm looking for a diehard Avalanche fan to talk about the "Brawl in Hockeytown" for public radio. By chance do you know anything about this infamous game?

    Best,
    Charlie Schroeder
    chschroed@charter.net

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Lord StanleyMay 2, 2007 at 6:15 AM

    Charlie,

    I assume you are referring to the March 17th, 1997 game between the Avs and Red Wings.

    Yeah, I know a little something about it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMay 2, 2007 at 1:58 PM

    Yes! Would you be interested in speaking with me about it?

    Can you email me at chschroed@charter.net?

    ReplyDelete