Ok so we are going to start off with the awards given out on pure statistics.
Maurice Richard Trophy - Most Goals Scored
WINNER: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Art Ross Trophy - Most Points
WINNER: Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
William Jennings Trophy - Goaltenders from Club Allowing Fewest Goals
WINNERS: Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, Chicago Blackhawks
Now lets take a look at the winners of the awards that were given out at the end of last week. First up is the NHL Foundation Player Award, which is awarded to the player who applies the core values of hockey to enrich the lives of people in his community. This year's winner is Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings. Then we have the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. This years winner is Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins.
Next up we have the Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award which is awarded to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season (Awarded by Mark Messier, himself). Finalists for this award were Daniel Alfredsson, of the Ottawa Senators; Dustin Brown, of the Los Angeles Kings; and Jonathan Toews, of the Chicago Blackhawks. Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators walked away with the award, and it's not much of a surprise because how what he was able to do with that Ottawa Senators team he had to play with this year.
Now here is the full final list of the Award nominees and winners:
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - Perseverance, Sportsmanship, Dedication to Hockey Finalists: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild; Adam McQuaid, Boston Bruins. Winner was Josh Harding of the Minnesota Wild.
General Manager of the Year Finalists: Marc Bergevin, Montreal Canadiens; Bob Murray, Anaheim Ducks; Ray Shero, Pittsburgh Penguins WINNER: Ray Shero, Pittsburgh Penguins. Murray and Bergevin both deserve strong consideration for this just because of how they were able to assemble playoff teams and got their teams better than they were a year ago. The reason I feel Shero won the award was because he was just a step above the other two guys in being able to pull off the moves he was and able to assemble the best team in the Eastern conference.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy - Sportsmanship and Gentlemanly Conduct Finalists: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks; Matt Moulson, New York Islanders; Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning WINNER: Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning. St. Louis had only 14 total minutes, it was a bit higher than the minutes total than the other two guys nominated, Moulson and Kane. I think it was just because of where he plays and his style of play is that of a superstar status but is more quiet than any other star in the league.
Ted Lindsay Award - Most Outstanding Player as Selected NHLPA Members Finalists: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning WINNER: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins. This one doesn't need to be discussed it was the players vote.
Frank J. Selke Trophy - Best Defensive Forward Finalists: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks WINNER: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks. This one was a bit of a surprise. Both Bergeron and Datsyuk have won this award, Datsyuk won it three years in a row and Bergeron won it last year. Both guys had outstanding years but Towes helped the Hawks to one of the lowest defensive numbers in the league. Towes just barley beat the othe two out in a close race.
Calder Memorial Trophy - Rookie of the Year Finalists: Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens; Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers; Brandon Saad, Chicago Blackhawks WINNER: Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers. Huberdeau had better offensive numbers than either Gallagher or Saad and was just a little more impressive than either guy in their rookie seasons. I think Saad is a little better off right now that he is playing for the Cup, but since this is a regular season award, Huberdeau had the better first year in the league than the other two guys.
Jack Adams Award - Coach of the Year Finalists: Bruce Boudreau, Anaheim Ducks; Paul MacLean, Ottawa Senators; Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks WINNER: Paul MacLean, Ottawa Senators. This one was somewhat of an obvious choice. Boudreau did a good job of turning the Ducks around and into a playoff team and a 4th place finish, he had a good year. Quenneville got the Hawks to the President's trophy as the best team in the league, and a record setting unbeaten streak to start the season. The reason though that MacLean beat him out is because, just like Ken Hitchkock last year, MacLean had a difficult situation to coach in. MacLean took an injury prone team, that had average talent during a chunk of the year and kept them in the playoff race all year and got them into the 2nd round of the playoffs. MacLean got Ottawa to where they are and deserved the award mroe than the other two.
Vezina Trophy - Best Goaltender Finalists: Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks WINNER: Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets. This award was a little tough to pick. Niemi had a good year with the Sharks but that's what is expected of him. Both Lundquivst and Bobrovsky had outstanding years and are a HUGE reason that their respective clubs finished where they did during the year. Both guys had outstanding numbers, don't get me wrong.
The difference is Bobrovsky did it for a subpar team in the Blue Jackets. Now I say subpar but I mean that only when comparing them to a team like the Rangers. There is one other person who should have been considered for this award and that is Craig Anderson of the Senators who had better numbers than all three goalies. Why Anderson wasn't nominated was because he played half as many games as the other guys due to injury. Had Anderson been healthy all year he would have won the award hands down.
James Norris Memorial Trophy - Best Defenseman Finalists: Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins; P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens; Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild WINNER: P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens. This again was a bit of a surprise, considering the fact that Subban had missed the beginning of the season due to contract disputes with Montreal. Once he did get into the Habs lineup though, Subban did have a better year than the other two guys and was deserving of the award.
Hart Memorial Trophy - Most Valuable Player Finalists: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals; John Tavares, New York Islanders WINNER: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. This award was a surprise. I felt it should have gone to Tavares, and I'm not saying that as an Islanders fan. Yes Ovie had a great year and congrats to him for winning the Award. But the reason I feel it should have gone to Tavares is because he was the BIGGEST reason the Islanders even got into the playoffs. He carried that hockey team, and gave the Islanders a chance to win every single night. He played incredible hockey night in and night out and was by far the best player on his team on some nights. I think the reason Ovie beat him out is because he helped get the Caps the division title thats the only thing i can possibly think of.
There you have it the 2013 NHL Award Winners!
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