2004 NHL Awards
The NHL will give out its awards 3 days after the Stanley Cup in Toronto. Here are the nominees and who I think will win.
Hart Trophy
Martin Brouder NJD
Jarome Iginla CAL
Martin St. Louis TAM
Brouder had a Brouder like year. Great goaltending tons of shutouts and kept his team in games when the defense was injured. What can you say about Jarome Iginla. Everything. The guy is awsome. Carried his team throughout. However, Marty St. Louis will win the Hart Trophy. He lead all scorers with 94 points while playing in all 82 games. He showed leadership, played 2 way hockey and was awsome on the PP and spectacular on the PK. And ironically this trophy is the hart trophy. No one shows more heart then Marty St. Louis.
Norris Trophy
Zdeno Chara OTT
Scott Niedermayer NJD
Chris Pronger STL
The Lidstrom Norris era takes a halt for now. Someone else will win this year. Pronger had a good year. After not playing for virtually all of last year he came back, played for a team without one of the best defensive combos in the league, and helped his team into a late playoff run. The argument is Chara or Niedermayer. Chara was great, at 6’10″ everyone reconzizes Z’s presence on the ice. He hits he scores he skates cant be better then that. However Niedermayer was just outstanding. No Stevens, No Rafalski down the stretch and he played great two way hockey. 54 points and with rookie d-man at his side got a +20. He will do something Scott Stevens was never able to do and win the Norris.
Calder Trophy
Trent Hunter NYI
Andrew Raycroft BOS
Michael Ryder MON
I had the priveledge of watching Hunter for 77 games this year and he is awsome. He will be a star and he shows leadership on the ice. He was 2nd in the league in hits and had very few PIM. Ryder led rookies in points and came out of no where this year to get 63 points and 25 goals. He was a 7th round pick and he worked hard until he got to the top. Raycroft will win though. 29 wins 2.05 GAA. He carried his team to a division titile and he was easily the best rookie this year. I don’t know where any of these players carrers will go, but this is by far better then last years class, in that any of these guys would have won last year.
Selke Trophy
Kris Draper Det
John Madden NJD
Alyn Mccauly SJS
Mccauly was +23 and showed SJ that they got a good edge of the deal. Madden had a Madden type year and faced top lines every night. But this is Draper’s award. 5 SHG 40 points 22G +22. The center of the Grind Line and one of the leagues best PK guys was awsome.
Lady Byng
Daniel Alferdsson OTT
Martin St. Louis TAM
Brad Richards TAM
I will be upset if Alferdsson gets it because he talks a ton of trash for someone to be here. I think though Richards deserves it with his 6 minors while getting 20+ minutes a game
Vezina Trophy
Martin Brouder NJD
Miikka Kiprusoff CAL
Roberto Luongo FLA
At the beggining of the year most of us picked Kipper to win this award. He stole a ton of games for Calgary once he came over and he had a great GAA and Sv%. However you need more games. There comes Luongo. Save Luongo Save Luongo Save Luongo. 2,475 shots, 500 more than any other goalie in the NHL. 931 sv%. However Brouder will win his 2nd straight Vezina. 11 shutouts injured defense in front of him and who knows, he has a chance for the hart also. He is the elite as far as I am concerned and he will be the 2 time Vezina winner.
Jack Adams Award
John Torterella TAM
Darry Sutter CAL
Ron Wilson SJS
This is a tough won, so like last year lets look at the blurb for this one “to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success”. Tampa had talent before. They overcame a lot mid way through the year after an abysmal December. Kipper and Iginla were the main reason the flames got to where they did. The award is Wilson’s. He got a bunch of young players and turned them into great hockey players.
