• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

NHL 2009 Awards Thread

Rob Hal

Rob Hal

Vice Admiral
Admiral
With the NHL Awards Ceremony taking place in Vegas on Thursday, I figure we could get a few predictions out before the big night...

Here are my predictions... I'm letting you know who I think should win it, and who I think will win it... let me know what you think!

Calder Trophy
Steve Mason - Columbus Blue Jackets
Bobby Ryan - Anaheim Ducks
Kris Versteeg - Chicago Blackhawks
Who should win: Steve Mason
Who will win: Steve Mason

First of all, Pekka Rinne should have been nominated in the place of Versteeg. While Bobby Ryan did great things this year, and a lot of people think he should win this award, you just can't ignore what Steve Mason did for Columbus.

Norris Trophy
Zdeno Chara - Boston Bruins
Mike Green - Washington Capitals
Nicklas Lidstrom - Detroit Red Wings
Who should win: Zdeno Chara
Who will win: Nicklas Lidstrom

In the debate over whether Chara or Green is most deserving of this award this year, I feel that Lidstrom will walk away with it... perhaps not underservedly, but it's a shame to ignore everything that Chara has done in Boston. He led his team to top spot in the Eastern Conference. Green is pretty deserving as well... he puts up fantastic numbers, especially compared to the rest of the Washington blueliners. A really tough category to call this year.

Lady Byng Trophy
Pavel Datsyuk - Detroit Red Wings
Zach Parise - New Jersey Devils
Martin St Louis - Tampa Bay Lightning
Who should win: Martin St. Louis
Who will win: Pavel Datsyuk

This is a tough one to call as well... hopefully, St. Louis walks away with it. He had a good season and always has his head in the game, despite playing on a terrible team with a miserable front office.

Vezina Trophy
Niklas Backstrom - Minnesota Wild,
Steve Mason - Columbus Blue Jackets
Tim Thomas - Boston Bruins
Who should win: Tim Thomas
Who will win: Tim Thomas

The nominations are well-deserved credit for Backstrom and Mason, but this should be Thomas's award, without a doubt.

Selke Trophy
Pavel Datsyuk - Detroit Red Wings
Ryan Kesler - Vancouver Canucks
Mike Richards - Philadelphia Flyer
Who should win: ?
Who will win: Pavel Datsyuk

This is a really tough one to decide, in general, if you ask me. You really have to watch each team regularly to evaluate how important a player's defensive skills are to their respective teams. I watched a lot of Canucks's games this season, so I completely understand how smart a player Kesler is... he's extremely versatile and brings so much to his team. Whether I can argue that he's more valuable to his team than Richards, it's hard for me to make that decision without having seen much of Richards' play this past year. Still, I think Datsyuk best encompasses the definition of a complete hockey player, and will probably win this one.

Adams Trophy
Claude Julien - Boston Bruins
Todd McLellan - San Jose Sharks
Andy Murray - St Louis Blues
Who should win: Andy Murray
Who will win: Claude Julien

Masterton Trophy
Chris Chelios - Detroit Red Wings
Steve Sullivan - Nashville Predators
Richard Zednik - Florida Panthers
Who should win: Steve Sullivan
Who will win: Richard Zednik

Hart Trophy
Pavel Datsyuk - Detroit Red Wings
Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals
Who should win: Alexander Ovechkin
Who will win: Alexander Ovechkin

The controversial one... just remember, this award represents the player most valuable to his team during the regular season. Take away Malkin from the Pens or take away Datsyuk from the Red Wings, and the you still have the high-caliber teams (Also, I will not buy an argument that Malkin is that much more valuable to his team than Crosby) Take Ovechkin out of Washington, however, and who knows what kind of team you'll be left with. Without a doubt, Ovechkin has the best goal scoring ability in the league today... but he also brings so much energy to his team. This award should be a lock.
 
Good calls overall. Are these decisions made before the completion of the Stanley Cup playoffs? The reason I ask is that if they are decided with the playoffs taken into account, then Malkin might justifiably win the Hart Trophy. If it's just the regular season we're talking about, then, yeah, Ovechkin should get the nod.
 
I might actually record/watch this since I already miss Hockey. I have a good feeling Mclellan will win coach of the year.
 
scottydog said:
Good calls overall. Are these decisions made before the completion of the Stanley Cup playoffs? The reason I ask is that if they are decided with the playoffs taken into account, then Malkin might justifiably win the Hart Trophy. If it's just the regular season we're talking about, then, yeah, Ovechkin should get the nod.
Click to expand...

Most of these are decided by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, which I know for sure votes on this after the end of the regular season and before the playoffs. Playoffs will have no impact on the Hart. The only two winners of the aforementioned awards that I know are not chosen by the Writers are the Jack Adams Awards, which is selected by the hockey broadcasters, and the Vezina Trophy, which is selected by the 30 GMs. I am not sure when those two groups cast their votes, but I've always assumed that they do so before the playoff as well.
 
Well, not too bad... I was 6 for 8 in my predictions... and on the other two, it was the player who I thought should have won the award.

Calder Trophy
Steve Mason

Norris Trophy
Zdeno Chara

Lady Byng Trophy
Pavel Datsyuk

Vezina Trophy
Tim Thomas

Selke Trophy
Pavel Datsyuk

Adams Trophy
Claude Julien

Masterton Trophy
Steve Sullivan

Hart Trophy
Alexander Ovechkin

Honestly, the awards show was pretty disappointingl... some great moments, Konstantinov on hand to present the Lester Pearson to Ovechkin, Tim Thomas's heartfelt Vezina acceptance speech... but mostly pretty boring. Someone needs to teach hockey players how to give speeches... :p
 
I was shocked with Roenick's performance tonight. He has the personality to host, but man was he awful.

As for me saying McLellan had a good chance to win the Jack Adams, well on that statement I was being a homer/idiot. Julian and Murrey were much more deserving, even though I think moreso with Murrey. I mean the Blues have been down for so long that this year they went to the playoffs and ended up having a great year. Most of that, I'm sure, is coaching.
 
Funny thing... only two President's Trophy winning team coaches have won the Jack Adams in the past twenty years.

In any case, the San Jose Sharks have been a consistently good regular season team since coming back from the lockout. Todd McLellan will probably be back in the running over the next couple years... however, whether he can win this award at any point may hinge on how far he can bring this underachieving team in the playoffs. I expect the Sharks to remain competitive over the next few years, but they really need to get their stars to deliver in the postseason.
 
I flipped over to watch it on CBC. The awards used to really capture my attention when I was a kid, but this year's was boring as watching paint dry.
 
I'm glad they were able to dry the Cup off before the show.

mario-lemieux-party-3.jpg


Party at Mario's mansion
 
Rob Hal said:
Funny thing... only two President's Trophy winning team coaches have won the Jack Adams in the past twenty years.
Click to expand...

That is interesting. I thought it would have been more times since being first in the entire league is not easy feat.

In any case, the San Jose Sharks have been a consistently good regular season team since coming back from the lockout. Todd McLellan will probably be back in the running over the next couple years... however, whether he can win this award at any point may hinge on how far he can bring this underachieving team in the playoffs. I expect the Sharks to remain competitive over the next few years, but they really need to get their stars to deliver in the postseason.
Click to expand...

Agreed, and I think the playoffs showed McLellan's true colors as an inexperienced head coach. I know the Awards look at the regular season only, but he pretty much inharited a good team and I'm not sure if he made them better. Yeah they started out strong, but from the All Star break to the end of the season, they were a mediocre hockey team and it absolutely showed against Anahiem.

I do think the Sharks will be in the running for the next few years, but there is a part of me that hopes 1) They don't win the president's trophy next year, and 2) does not start out so strong but pretty much fight for positioning in the stretch run. It makes for more exciting hockey and it forces you to finish strong rather than taking 3 months off by playoff time.
 
I did. I guess he's got room for Sid to stay as long as he wants to, eh?

A girl I play hockey with was at a Stanley Cup party years ago at Pantera's house. She said that was wild.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top