An unusually short break between the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals and the week of the NHL Awards Ceremony and draft, caused by the Olympic break, left everyone in the hockey world a bit winded. Now that the calamity has calmed down, and everyone has caught their breath, let’s take a look back on some of the major happenings from last week.
The major award of the night last Thursday was the Hart Trophy given to the league’s MVP, and only two players had a legitimate chance to win it; Joe Thornton and Jaromir Jagr. The most deserving candidate did get the award.
Joe Thornton out scored Jagr in overall points on the season (125 - 123), and led his team further into the playoffs. Yes Jagr’s team had more points in the regular season, but the Rangers’ lackluster play in March and April (9-11-4) compared to San Jose’s (16-6-3) undoubtedly played a huge factor in the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association’s voting. Another factor that could have helped Thornton was that he was traded during the season which, at least perceptively, made his season a bit more difficult than Jagr’s.
Jagr did take some consolation, however, in winning the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players’ choice for most outstanding player. He believed that award to have more credibility since the players vote on it and they, "...understand the game better than the media."
Hey, if that’s what it takes to make you happy "Jags" then good for you. But it shouldn’t take an award given at the end of the season for you to feel that your play was validated. You set records for the Rangers organization in goals (54) and assists (69) and led your team to the post-season for the first time since 1997. That’s where you should derive your personal satisfaction, not from being given an award by the media or the players.
The other intriguing award race was the one for the Calder Trophy given to the league’s best rookie. Alexander Ovechkin was considered the favorite because he outscored Sidney Crosby 106 - 102, and he did win the award. The thing that made this award particularly unique, aside from the outstanding quality of the candidates, was that it involved two classes of rookies.
Had the lockout not occurred, Ovechkin would have won the award for the 2004-‘05 season and Crosby would have stood head-and-shoulders above all rookies this year. Also, don’t forget about Dion Phaneuf who finished third in the voting, and will be a Norris Trophy candidate for many years to come.
In the end, it was inconsequential as to who won the Calder because choosing between Crosby and Ovechkin is like choosing between 1 and 1a. They are both unworldly talented, well-spoken, smart, charismatic, and good with the media. Heck, Ovechkin stayed in the U.S. a couple extra days just to announce the Capital’s first round draft pick. The NHL needs to jump on the backs of these two young men because they are a marketing gold mine, possibly better than Bird and Magic ever were for the NBA.
As for the rest of the awards they broke down like this: Vezina (best goalie) - Miikka Kiprusoff, Norris (best defenseman) - Nicklas Lidstrom, Jack Adams (best coach) - Lindy Ruff, Selke (best defensive forward) - Rod Brind’Amour, Lady Byng (sportsmanship) - Pavel Datsyuk.
The annual NHL Entry Draft was held this past Saturday in Vancouver, and didn’t receive nearly as much attention as last year’s did. This was obvious for three reasons; Sidney Crosby wasn’t in the draft, it was covered by OLN, and the NHL wasn’t coming out of a lockout. Regardless, this draft will have a serious impact on the future of every team, like all drafts do. But I’d like to offer up some of my own thoughts on the choices that were made:
1) St. Louis Blues - Erik Johnson
The Blues clearly were not drafting for need with this pick. There are a number of talented, young defensemen on the Blues roster like Barret Jackman, Eric Brewer, Jeff Woywitka, and Christian Backman. However, you cannot blame them for taking the most talented player in the draft.
2) Pittsburgh Penguins - Jordan Staal
The Penguins had the same mindset with this pick as the Blues did before them, take the best player available. Staal, who is listed as a center, would seem to be an ill fit for a team with two outstanding young centers in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, the Pens’ radio commentator Paul Steigerwald made a great point when he said that having three top-notch centers in the new NHL is not a bad thing.
3) Chicago Blackhawks - Jonathan Toews
A rugged, talented center who can score and make players around him better, sounds like the perfect remedy for Chicago. Too bad that Toews isn’t NHL ready just yet.
4) Washington Capitals - Nicklas Backstrom
This was the third consecutive center chosen in the draft, and the first European player. Not bad for the Caps considering Sweden (Backstrom’s home country) has won the last two major international tournaments (the World Championships and the Olympics). Backstrom was a part of Sweden’s World Championship team and should play well alongside Ovechkin when he is NHL ready. But then again, who wouldn’t play well alongside Ovechkin?
5) Boston Bruins - Phil Kessel
This pick could be golden for Boston. Kessel was rated number one for this year’s draft by the NHL’s Central Scouting service, but dropped during the season. He played well for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but was a bit shaky in international competition. After the Joe Thornton debacle, Boston can’t afford for this pick to be a bust.
A complete list of draft picks can be found at nhl.com.
Most of the picks below the top five are at least two years away from being NHL ready, and I would be surprised to see any of the top five in NHL uniforms during the 2006-‘07 season. An encouraging fact to note, however, was that 10 American players were taken in the first round, an all-time record.
The United States did not fair very well in the major international tournaments this year, but if these players live up to the potential that merited them being picked in the first round, the U.S. could be seeing a lot of gold in its hockey future.
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