June 20, 2009, NHL Award Winners story for Metro (NY) Newspaper
That's a wrap: NHL awards
Close the book on the 2008-09 season. Here's a shake down of the season awards:
• Lester B. Pearson Award (Players' MVP): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals.
•King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership on the ice and contributions to the community): Ethan Moreau, Edmonton Oilers.
•Scotiabank Fan Favorite Award: Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.
•NHL Foundation Award Winner: Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication to hockey): Steve Sullivan, Nashville Predators.
•William M. Jennings Trophy (Fewest Goals Scored Against): Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez, Boston Bruins.
• Art Ross Trophy (Player With Most Points): Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins.
• Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (Player With Most Goals): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals.
• NHL Lifetime Achievement Award: Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens.
•Mark Messier Leadership Award: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames.
• Calder Trophy (Rookie Of The Year): Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets.
Our pick: Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets. It's a shame that Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Chicago's Kris Versteeg were in the same rookie class as Mason. Mason's marvelous netminding helped the Blue Jackets qualify for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. That trumps Ryan's and Versteeg's fantastic first year campaigns.
• Frank J. Selke Award: (Best Defensive Forward): Pavel Datsyuk , Detroit Red Wings.
Our pick: Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers. Perhaps the league's best two-way player, Richards led the league with seven short-handed goals. The Flyers' captain should be one of the leaders of the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team.
•Lady Byng Trophy (Most Gentlemanly Player): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings.
Our pick: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings. A finalist for the Selke and Hart Trophies, Datsyuk is the rare great player that is underrated. He plays at even strength, on the power play and penalty kill at a high level. And he does not he hurt his team with foolish penalties.
•Georges Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender): Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins.
Our pick: Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins. The only person who could beat out Thomas is Columbus' Steve Mason. However, Thomas' 36-11-7 record, .933 save percentage and 2.10 goals against tops Mason's 10 shutouts.
•Jack Adams Trophy (Coach of the Year): Claude Julien, Boston Bruins.
Our pick: Andy Murray, St. Louis Blues. Claude Julien and Todd McLellan did fantastic jobs with the Bruins and Sharks, respectively. However, both teams were far more seasoned than Murray's Blues, who qualifed for the playoffs for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
• James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best Defenseman): Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins.
Our pick: Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins. It's tough to go wrong here. Nick Lidstrom is one of the all time greats and has not lost a step. Mike Green is the second coming of Paul Coffey. Still, Chara improved his all around game this past year, going from merely a franchise defenseman to the league's best.
• Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals.
Our pick: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. Led the league with 56 goals, 10 more than the nearest runner-up. Tenth in the league with 54 assists and his 110 points trailed only Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin. While not a one-man band, Malkin and Datsyuk have more surrounding them than does Ovechkin.
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:34 AM
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