The Puck Stops Here

The Lady Byng Trophy is given every year to the player who best combines playing ability and sportsmanlike play. At this point in the season, I think the leader is Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators. He currently is sixth in NHL scoring with 30 points and has only four penalty minutes. He is the captain and leader of the first place Ottawa Senators.

Given Alfredsson's reputation, it is surprising that his only individual trophy so far in his career that he has won is the 1995/96 Calder Trophy for rookie of the year. Alfredsson would be a deserving Lady Byng winner.

James Mirtle has different ideas about the Lady Byng. He feels it is far too often given to forwards and not frequently enough to defenceman (this is true). However, this leads him to pick only defenceman for this award. Most of the defenceman he picks do not have the playing ability of Daniel Alfredsson. He is currently picking Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks as his Lady Byng pick. Now Vlasic may be a solid defensive player who leads San Jose in ice, but his four points and ten penalty minutes so far this year make him a far from ideal choice.