Mid-season NHL awards.
Now that most teams have played 41 games, it’s time to recap the first half of the season and who you think should win what award (for the first half of the season, not predicting the full season).
One note: some teams like the Blues have games in hand and thus should be considered potential playoff teams.
Presidents’ Trophy: Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy: Ottawa Senators
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Trophy: Vincent Lecavalier
Maurice Richard Trophy: Ilya Kovalchuk
William M. Jennings Trophy: Chris Osgood/Dominik Hasek
Lester Patrick Trophy: Mario Lemieux and those involved from Buffalo in setting up the Winter Classic.
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Tim Connolly
Notables: Sandis Ozolinsh (overcoming alcoholism).
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Mike Fisher
Runners-up: Rod Brind’amour, Dany Heatley.
Notables: Henrik Zetterberg, John Madden.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk (6PIM, make it three in a row for this guy)
Runners-up: Martin St. Louis, Kristian Huselius.
Notables: Mike Ribeiro, Ray Whitney.
Overlooked: Daniel Alfredsson, Cory Stillman, Anze Kopitar, Zach Parise.
Jack Adams: Babc*ck. No question here.
Runners-up: John Paddock, Andy Murray/Brent Sutter (tied for 3rd).
Notables: Claude Julien, Guy Carbonneau.
Overlooked: Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien, John Stevens, Ron Wilson, Dave Tippett.
Calder: Patrick Kane.
Runners-up: Backstrom, Toews.
Notables: Enstrom, Mueller, Erik Johnson, Niskanen and Edler (+17 leads all rookies).
Overlooked: Gagne, Hanzal, Cogliano, Perron, Kennedy.
Norris: Lidstrom. Obviously.
Runners-up: Rafalski and Zubov, for more reasons than just points. If you think Rafalski doesn’t deserve it, I suggest you look at last year’s Niedermayer/Pronger duo, and see how ‘good’ (read:poor +/- 0) Pronger has done this year without Niedermayer. Yes, playing with an All-Star helps you and without Niedermayer, Prongs wouldn’t have been a Finalist last year (seriously his past 5 years only last season he had a good +/-).
Notables: Phaneuf, Markov, Chara and Rozsival (seriously underrated and has 10 goals).
Overlooked: Gonchar (as always), Pronger, Kaberle. Negligible +/-
Vezina: Debatable, but Chris Osgood. Only 23 games, but 19-2-1 and best SV% and GAA in the entire NHL.
Runners-up: Luongo, Nabokov.
Notables: Brodeur, Leclaire, Legacy, Lunqvist.
Overlooked: Turco, Backstrom, Tim Thomas and Ty Conklin! (7-0, 2 Shutouts! joking.)
Lester B. Pearson Award: Jarome Iginla.
Runners-up: Vincent Lecavalier, Sidney Crosby.
Notables: Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, Ovechkin.
Hart Memorial Trophy: Heatley. 5th in scoring and +32, 2nd only to Lidstrom.
Runners-up: Iginla, Crosby (if it weren’t for Zetterberg’s injury I’d have had him here instead).
Notables: Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Thornton (has TWICE as many points as the next guy on the Sharks. Without him they are not in the playoffs even), Mike Ribeiro (there, I said it!).
Overlooked: Lidstrom (would be nice to see him win one), Alfredsson, Spezza, Sundin. And: Lecavalier, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk. None of their teams are in the playoffs. Kovalchuk could be considered though because they are very close and he’s the reason. The Lightning are the WORST in the East, so Vinny has no shot at it, similar for AO. Also, their +/- is nowhere near the other top players’.
Other notables include any goalies like Luongo or Nabokov, simply because unlike last year there is no clear-cut super-goalie on pace for 50 wins, though Nabokov is close.