Unless otherwise noted, the NHL postseason trophies below go to those who finish first in balloting among the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Here’s who should win, regardless of who does the voting.
None of these choices is surprising, and I don’t claim there are any dark-horse choices:
Hart Trophy (most valuable player): Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers, who won the award in 1999. Jagr has had a terrific season under the new rules and standards, with a huge cast of fellow Czechs around him. He’s the best player in the world when he puts his mind to it. The catch is it’s reasonable to wonder why he hasn’t put his mind to it, even under the old rules and standards, more often. San Jose’s Joe Thornton was instrumental in the Sharks’ closing rush into a playoff spot, and the Bruins were ridiculous to deal him. Thornton and Miikka Kiprusoff are worthy of consideration.
Norris Trophy (top defenseman): Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim. He would be a repeat winner after coming over from the Devils as an unrestricted free agent. As the Ducks’ captain, he also has provided leadership in Anaheim’s strong second half. Second choice: Ottawa’s Wade Redden.
Adams Award (coach of the year, voted on by broadcasters): Tom Renney, New York Rangers. I’m one of the folks who thought the Rangers would be lucky to win 30 games and the mess would cost general manager Glen Sather his job. It helped that Henrik Lundqvist turned out to be a great find in the net and that Jagr showed up, but Renney has done an award-winning job. Among the others worthy of consideration: Carolina’s Peter Laviolette, Nashville’s Barry Trotz, Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff and Detroit’s Mike Babcock.
Calder Trophy (rookie of the year, voted on by writers): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington. In what amounts to a two-season crop of rookies, Ovechkin has been the best, cracking 50 goals and 100 points. In a “normal” season, Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf, Lundqvist and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby would have better shots at this – but Ovechkin is a lock.
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender, voted on by general managers): Kiprusoff, Calgary. It’s amazing that the Sharks gave up on him, but he didn’t play well for San Jose when given a shot to step in for Evgeni Nabokov. Kiprusoff benefits from the Flames’ still-close-to-the-vest style, but his double-digit shutout performance speaks for itself. The guy who probably isn’t getting enough credit (including from me) is Detroit’s Manny Legace, who benefits from the fact that the Red Wings seem to have the puck all the time.
