The Puck Stops Here

The NHL regular season is over. It is time for award voting to occur. Last year, I listed who I would vote for if I had a ballot. This is not a list of who I think will win, it is who I think should win.

Selke Trophy- 1. Rod Brind'Amour Carolina Hurricanes 2. Sami Pahlsson Anaheim Ducks 3. Jay Pandolfo New Jersey Devils

The Selke winner is usually an unsung hero. It's a forward whose game is defensive. It shouldn't be (but often is) given to the defensively minded forward who has the best offensive season. Here is why I support Brind'Amour.

Lady Byng Trophy- 1. Martin St Louis Tampa Bay Lightning 2. Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings 3. Tomas Kaberle Toronto Maple Leafs

The Byng goes to the player who best combines sportsmanship and talent. St Louis put up 102 points with only 28 PIMs. Here is why I support him.

Adams Trophy- 1. Jacques Lemaire Minnesota Wild 2. Ted Nolan New York Islanders 3. Barry Trotz Nashville Predators

The best coach in the NHL is rarely the coach of the most improved team (which is often how it gets selected). Here is why I support Lemaire.

Calder Trophy- 1. Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 2. Paul Stastny Colorado Avalanche 3. Anze Kopitar Los Angeles Kings

There are several interesting rookies who did not have as good years as these players (Staal, Vlasic, Carle), but these were the guys with the best rookie season. Here is why I support Malkin.

Norris Trophy- 1. Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit Red Wings 2. Scott Niedermayer Anaheim Ducks 3. Chris Pronger Anaheim Ducks

These three defencemen were far ahead of the rest of the pack in the NHL. Here is why I support Lidstrom as well as why he is an MVP candidate.

Vezina Trophy- 1. Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils 2. Roberto Luongo Vancouver Canucks 3. Miikka Kiprusoff Calgary Flames

There has been a movement to nominate Brodeur and Luongo for the Hart Trophy. I disagree. Although they were very good this season, they did not have the dominant saves percentage in the neighborhood of .930 required to be as dominant as the top position players this season. Here is why I support Brodeur.

Hart Trophy- 1. Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 2. Joe Thornton San Jose Sharks 3. Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit Red Wings

It's a much closer race than many Crosby fans acknowledge, here is why I support Crosby.

All Star Teams- First Team Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins Dany Heatley Ottawa Senators Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit Red Wings Scott Niedermayer Anaheim Ducks Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils
Second Team Thomas Vanek Buffalo Sabres Joe Thornton San Jose Sharks Jarome Iginla Calgary Flames Chris Pronger Anaheim Ducks Sergei Gonchar Pittsburgh Penguins Roberto Luongo Vancouver Canucks
Third Team Daniel Sedin Vancouver Canucks Vincent LeCavalier Tampa Bay Lightning Marian Hossa Atlanta Thrashers Kimmo Timonen Nashville Predators Jay Bouwmeester Florida Panthers Miikka Kiprusoff Calgary Flames