The Finalists Should Be. . .

The NHL will announce its award finalists today, but why wait?

Here's who should be the final three in the important categories. And no, we're not going to worry about the Lady Byng and the Selke, which, fairly or unfairly, have become completely marginalized. They've almost become consolation prizes for good players not quite good enough to land any of the biggies.

All people care about are the Hart (MVP), the Norris (top defenceman), the Calder (top rookie) the Vezina (top goalie) and the Jack Adams (coach of the year).

(Editors note: Since some don't understand, the writers vote on the Hart, Norris and Calder, the general managers vote on the Vezina and the Adams voting is done by the broadcasters association.)

If the NHL was smart, it would dump the Lady Byng and the Selke, make goalies ineligible for the Hart, create the Bobby Orr Trophy for best offensive defenceman, leave the Norris for the stay-at-home types and establish the Sam Pollock Award for top executive.

But for now, we'll play by their rules:

HART: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), Martin Brodeur (New Jersey), Roberto Luongo (Vancouver)

See? Wouldn't it be more interesting if Vincent Lecavalier or Chris Drury or Joe Thornton were in the running? Goalies are by definition the most important player on every team, so it becomes a silly exercise.

NORRIS: Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit), Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim), Dan Boyle (Tampa Bay).

More than any other award, this one is won by reputation. It's going to be tough for anybody to yank it away from Lidstrom.

CALDER: Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh), Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh), Paul Stastny (Colorado).

Hard to believe looking back that Alexander Ovechkin beat Crosby a year ago. But this one has been reserved for Malkin since the season began. Still don't know who'll be the best player over time. Might even be Anze Kopitar of the Kings.

VEZINA: Brodeur, Luongo, Ryan Miller (Buffalo)

Give Miller some props for playing behind the league's most offensive team. But this has been about Brodeur and Luongo for a long time now, and is too close to call.

ADAMS: Michel Therrien (Pittsburgh), Lindy Ruff (Buffalo), Randy Carlyle (Anaheim).

People should hope Ruff wins because his brand of positive, offensive hockey is desperately needed across the league, and, sadly, it appears more defensive hockey is becoming increasingly popular again.

And if there was a Sam Pollock Award. . . .??

POLLOCK: Darcy Regier (Sabres), Dave Nonis (Vancouver), John Muckler (Ottawa).

Regier has played the system better than anyone, Nonis made the big deal and Muckler, by resisting the call for big change when the team wasn't going well, may have created a champion.

Comments

[mark]

So, get rid of the Selke, but have a reward for the best offensive defenseman and leave the Norris to the best defensive defenseman. Your logic never fails to astound me. If you don't think a forward who can shut down the oppositions best player and kill penalties is important then I guess you've just demonstrated (again) your ignorance of the game. And lest you forget, despite the televised format, these awards are for peer recognition. If you don't think the players know a good defensive forward when they face one, then you are mistaken (again).

[Bob Holden]

The game has become so specialized now that the old awards hardly work. You might want to recognize:

1.Top offensive forward.

2. Top penalty killer.

3.Top shut down defenseman.

4.Top offensive defenseman.

5.Best goalie.

and considering Gary Bettman's new endorsement of fisticuff's, 6. Top enforcer.

[Stephen]

Yes to keeping goalies out of the Hart, no to all the other ideas.

Hart: Everyone wants to crown Crosby as the face of the league, but I would have given it to Lecavalier anyway - here's to him winning the Pearson. But if you're taking how important a player is to his team's success, Luongo wins it ten times again over anyone else.

Norris: Just let Lidstrom keep it until he retires. Yes, he's that good.

Calder: Malkin's a shoo-in, but I do like Staal's. He'd have won if the award was for the best all-round game.

Vezina: Brodeur. I love Luongo, but man that was a lot of shutouts.

Adams: Carlyle Damien? Exactly how smart do you have to be to play your two elite defensemen thirty minutes a night? I like what Therrien's done with Pittsburg, but it's got to be Ruff.

Pollock: Nonis made a no-brainer trade that any other GM in the league would have taken (with the possible exception of JFJ). Muckler did a great job during the season, but before it started he signed the only goalie worse than Raycroft and gave Redden and Chara equal offers only to keep the lesser man of the two. Regier wins by default.

[Alantdot]

Darcy Regier?

He lucked out with the rule changes. This small fast Sabre team was built way before anyone could reasonable expect that the league rules were going to change - and more importantly , stay changed. The NHL record on sticking to changes that fly in the face of the 'old guard' is woeful. Kudo's to them for making the interference rules stick..

This buffalo team is as good as it is ever going to be with Regier at the helm...

[D Burns]

I know you absolutely loathe Burke, but Mr Cox you have to give credit where credit's due -- he has Niedermyer, Pronger, and Selanne all playing great hockey, two solid goalies, and a balanced attack all within 2 years of taking over the franchise. They've got to be the favorites for the cup this year at this point, and hes dealt with troublesome signings like Federov quickly and effectively.