Usually slagged off as the league that no one watches (shouldn't that title go to the MLS?), the NHL continues to be ignored by most of the sporting media. After all, who would want to watch hockey when the great adulterer of his generation Tiger Woods is playing golf? But for those of us who have been paying attention this year, there has been plenty to love about the National Hockey League this season.
Let's start with the fact that there are players out there who can challenge Alexander Ovechkin for the Rocket Richard Trophy, an award that Ovechkin has won two years in a row, by a healthy margin in each. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma's recommendation that his star player Sidney Crosby shoot more often has paid dividends for both the player and the team. Crosby leads the league in goals with 49, just one ahead of Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos.
All three players could score 50 goals, something that has not been done since the 2007-2008 season, and had only been done two other seasons in the past decade. While the 2009-2010 edition will not equal the 2000-2001 season in which Pavel Bure (59 goals), Joe Sakic (54 goals) and Jaromir Jagr (52 goals) all scored over 50 goals, the trio of Crosby, Ovechkin, and Stamkos could easily resemble that trio going forward.
Ladies and gentlemen, contrary to the popular myth about hockey, goals are being scored, a lot of them.
This season has also witnessed the apotheosis of some incredible talent in the league. Henrik Sedin, derided by many around the league as a player who was more hype than reality, has tallied 108 points this season. What is most impressive about Hank's season is that he has elevated the players around him, as 73% of his points have been assists. Alexandre Burrows has benefited from the emergence of Henrik this season to the tune of 35 goals, his career best by seven.
Additionally, the Washington Capitals' Niklas Backstrom has become the Peter Forsberg-type player the Caps were hoping he would be when they selected him fourth overall in the 2006 draft. Backstrom is fourth in the league in points with 98, having notched 31 goals and 67 helpers this year in DC.
I have already lauded the Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos, but he merits a mention in this piece. His 48 goals at the tender age of 20 makes me wonder what I did wrong with my first 20 years of existence. The goal he scored against the Anaheim Ducks from his knees still gives me the chills.
While everyone and their puck-loving mother picked John Tavares to have a Crosby-like season for the Islanders this season, Matt Duchene is quietly debunking that theory in Colorado. Duchene, the third overall pick in last year's draft, leads all rookies in scoring with 55 points. He also leads all rookies in goals with 24.
His beautiful shootout goal versus the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week showed the coolness of a veteran. It clinched the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference for a team that was given no chance at the beginning of the season.
While the Islanders sit in 12th in the Eastern Conference, the Avalanche have remade their team and sit in 8th in the West. I'm not saying the Isles were wrong for selecting Tavares, but it is clear which rookie had the bigger impact.
It is also wonderful for the league to see the rise of parity between the teams. The Phoenix Coyotes, written off by everyone including yours truly at the beginning of the season, have amassed an unfathomable 106 points this season. Ilya Bryzgalov has dazzled between the pipes. Their offense lacks a big goal scorer, but that has not prevented the Coyotes from ascending to the heights of the conference. The Coyotes have the third best goals against average in the league. It's awfully difficult to lose when you don't give up many goals.
Other teams like the Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and Buffalo Sabres have all proven that even if you disappointed last season, it is still possible to bounce back. The fact that the Red Wings are not the top team in the Western Conference speaks to this newfound, almost NFL-like parity within the NHL.
Now I will give my picks for the individual awards...
Vezina Trophy: Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
For me this an incredibly easy decision. Miller has shown the world and the rest of the NHL that he is an elite goaltender the likes of which we have not seen since the days of Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, etc. His performance for Team USA at the Olympics combined with his god-like season with the Sabres has driven him to one of the elite talents the league has on offer. For all of you Boston Bruins fans crying foul, asking why I have not given any consideration to Tuukka Rask, I ask you to look beyond the goals against average and save percentage and look at two other statistics: wins and minutes. Miller has played almost a thousand more minutes than Rask and has won almost 20 more games than Rask. Boom, roasted.
Norris Trophy: Mike Green (Washington Capitals)
While everyone seems infatuated with Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks, Mike Green has had the better season in pretty much every category. Green leads all defensemen in points, goals, assists, and plus/minus. For me this is an easy pick. Not only has Green been a standout individual player, he has also helped the Washington Capitals to the franchise's first President's Trophy.
Hart Memorial Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Oftentimes referred to as the most prestigious award a hockey player can get, the Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded for the player judged to be the most important to his team. This year I can think of no better candidate than Alexander Ovechkin. The Great 8 is second in the league in points and goals scored, having appeared in fewer games than Crosby or Sedin. More importantly, it is his presence that masks for the incompetencies in net, his presence that gives players like Mike Knuble and Alex Semin more room on the ice. His team won the President's Trophy this season, and lead the league in points by seven over the San Jose Sharks. I will say that Ryan Miller is almost as good of an option for this award, but it has been a while since a goaltender won the Hart. Ironically the last goalie to win it was former Buffalo Sabre great Dominic Hasek, who won it two years in a row from 1996-1998.
Calder Trophy: Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche)
Having already sung his praises earlier, I will not bother to write much about him. Except that he is pretty great.
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