Dream Team

Salutations to my fellow hockey amateurs and welcome back to “We Talk Hockey.” First off, I would like to, once again, thank you all for your strong interest and great responses. I would also like to congratulate Ami Yunger and Phil Oiknine who were the lucky winners of last week’s topic of discussion. They will each receive a free ‘Fight For Freedom’ t-shirt and will be entered in the draw for the opportunity to go see the Habs this coming season.

My choices for the NHL awards are as follows:

Hart:

Ovechkin will take it home no questions asked! He is far more important to his team than Malkin or Datsyuk have been this past season. He has lit the lamp 56 times this year making him the 5th player in history to attain the 50 goal marker 3 times in his first 4 seasons. Ovechkin has also etched his name 110 times on the score sheet this season. He has led the league in shots (528) having 151 more than the runner-up for that category (nearly a double-up on players like Malkin and Crosby). More importantly, Ovechkin contributed for over 20% of his team’s goals (wow!!!).

Pearson:

Ovechkin will grab the Pearson for a second consecutive year, for the same reasons he will merit the hart.

Vezina:

It is hard to be objective discussing this topic so I’ve decided not to be! I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Timothy Thomas over the course of this past season. That man has accomplished so much and worked so hard to make it to the NHL. “Strive to succeed” is an understatement for his efforts and work ethics taking a look at his trail to stardom. Thomas has definitely earned the Vezina this year, backstopping his team and leading them to being the division and conference champs. He went 36-11-7 with 5 shut-outs during the regular season while posting a minuscule GAA of 2.10 and a stunning save percentage of 9.33. The hybrid goaltender has showed the world why anyone can accomplish anything they dream of, if they work hard enough towards that direction.

Calder:

Mason can give himself a nice pat on the back for the breathtaking skill he demonstrated this season. He deserves this Calder as much as Ovechkin deserved the Richard this year. He led all rookie goalies in almost every possible category while leading the entire NHL with 10 shutouts. Mason also managed finishing in the top ten throughout the league for all the goaltending categories while leading his team to their first playoff berth in franchise history! Just like Thomas, Mason has turned quite a few heads this year recording more than 30 wins in his first NHL season. Mason posted a 33-20-7 record with a 9.16 save percentage and a 2.29 GAA, pretty impressive for a 20 year old.

Norris:

Green green green, the whole planet is going GREEN! Led defense in goals, points, every category on the PP, and set a new NHL record while doing so (most consecutive games with a goal by a defensemen). He finished 15th for assists and 37th overall for points. Needless to say he is a DEFENSEMAN. Green also posted a +24 rating in 68 games. It’s a green world, enough said!!!

Selke:

Many people hope/think Datsyuk should take it home, finishing the season with 97 points and a +34 rating, but I would like to remind you all that he DOES play for the (arguably) best defensive squad in the league. I believe Mike Richards is taking it home this season. He notched 80 points in 79 games with a +22 rating. The gritty forward also lit the lamp TWICE while killing a 5 on 3. Richards has elevated his game to another level this season, committing to both ends of the rink. Even with a more defensive mission, Richards still found a way to contribute 30 goals to his team’s offense.

Lady Byng:

This is the only trophy that doesn’t have a clear winner. All three players have demonstrated extreme skill while staying out of the box. St. Louis tallied only 14 penalty minutes this season, while Datsyuk and Parise sat in the box for 22 and 24 minutes respectively. You can easily put all 3 names in a hat and pull out a lucky winner, as all 3 if these players deserve the honor. I believe Parise will take it home this year because of his outstanding contribution to his team’s success. He could have easily been nominated for the Hart as well.

Jack Adams:

Julien is taking it home, Period! Yes, Murray did a fantastic Boudreau-like job taking his severely under-dogged St-Louis team to the post season this year, but unlike Boudreau, Murray has been there all season long and hasn’t clinched his division. Prior to the season I would of easily believed a fortune teller had he told me the Blues would make a post season run, but never would I’ve had believed him had he told me the Bruins would finish atop the eastern conference.

Masterton:

Sullivan deserves it most for coming back after such a long time. Not only did he make a successful return but he produced great numbers and brought some character and leadership to his locker room.

This week I ask you guys to build your DREAM TEAM!!! You have to choose 12 forwards, 6 defensemen and 2 goalies, plain and simple. Nationality and position is not and object. If you feel like choosing 12 Russian center-men for your forwards, you may. The two best teams are going to determine this week’s winners! Thank you all for your participation and stay tuned for next week’s topic and chosen winners.