NHL Awards Wrap Up

On a grand night in Las Vegas, the NHL held it’s annual awards show for the best of the best for the 2009-2010 season.

Were there some surprises?  Yep.  Like Snoop Dog with the musical opening for one.  That completely surprised me.

Other than that, it was probably one of the better Awards shows the NHL has done, and  Jay Mohr did a solid job as the host.  A guy that now supposedly loves hockey himself, he was pretty comfortable in his element.  Some of the jokes were a bit tasteless, but so be it.  I would have rather had more funny stuff about the players themselves. There was a neat little skit by Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan that you’ll need to go to YouTube and watch.  Pretty damn funny. 

There was Chicago Blackhawk heartthrob Patrick Sharp being interviewed along with his teammate Patrick Kane, as Kane was standing next to a Playboy Bunny.  With his arm around her nonetheless.  Although at one point it looked like he actually placed his had on her,  um, arse?!  Oh that Kaner, he’s such a ladies man!

Here’s a recap of the winners:

The Hart Trophy for league MVP, went to Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin, as he edged out Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin.  However Ovechkin won the Ted Lindsey Award for MVP as voted by the players.  The media votes for the Hart, so i guess you’d say they shared the MVP award.  Sedin led the league in points last season with 112, scoring 29 goals and registering 83 assists for the Canucks. 

The Ted Lindsey Award for league MVP as voted by the players as I mentioned went to Alexander Ovechkin.  The Washington Capitals star finished third in the league scoring with 109 points.

The Norris Trophy for the leagues best defenceman went to Chicago Blackhawks D-man Duncan Teith Keith.  Keith capped a solid season that also included winning Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup.  The Winnipeg native had 14 goals and 55 assists in 82 games with the Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks last season.

The Vezina Trophy went to Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, who fully deserved the award as the league’s best goaltender.  Miller edged out both Martin Brodeur and Phoenix Coyote netminder Ilya Bryzgalov.  Miller who many felt should have been considered for MVP, is one of many Sabre netminders over the years to win the award.  Miller compiled a 41-18-8 with a .929 save percentage and a 2.22 GAA for the Sabres last season.

The Jack Adams Award for league’s best coach went to Dave Tippett of the Phoenix Coyotes.  Tippett pretty much saved the Coyotes from extinction last year, vaulting them into the playoffs.  Quite an accomplishment for a team that in September had no idea who it’s coach was, and if they were going to be moved or not. 

The Calder Trophy for Rookie of the year went to Buffalo defenceman Tyler Myers.  The 20-year-old native of Houston, Texas had 11 goals and 37 assists in 82 games with the Sabres last season. Standing 6′-8″,and weighing 222-pounds the blueliner was drafted 12th overall by the Sabres in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.  

The Lady Byng Trophy went to Tampa’s Martin St. Louis.  The trophy is given to the player that best exemplifies gentlemanly play and good sportsmanship.  St. Louis had 94 points in 2009-10 while taking only six penalties, the highest points-to-penalty ratio in the NHL. The 35-year-old had 29 goals and 65 assists with the Lightning last season.

The Frank Selke Trophy given to the leagues best defensive forward went to Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datysuk.  It’s the third time in a row that Pavel has won.  Last season Pavel had 27 goals, 43 assists.

The Bill Masterton Trophy for perserverance, sportsmanship and dedication went to a tearful but deserving  Jose Theodore  of the Washington Capitals.  Théodore, a Quebec native, is the founder of “Saves for Kids”, a charity that benefits the NICU at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.  Theodore lost a new born child last year, and his story is indeed one of compassion and perserverance.

The King Clancy Award for leadership both on and off the ice went to Coyotes captain Shane Doan.  The 33-year-old had 18 goals and 37 assists in 82 games with the Coyotes last season. He has played over 1000 games with the Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise.

The Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award went to Sidney Crosby.  Sidney had 51 goals and 58 assists for 109 points last regular season, which was best in the NHL for scoring and second for points.

A great night for all, and congratulations to all the winners on their accomplishments.

So, just aasking, do you like the new way the show has been done the past couple seasons, or would you rather see if be more like the black tie affair from Toronto that we used to have?

Thanks for reading.

Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated.

Cheers