NHL Awards Watch: Paul MacLean’s mustache trumps Joel Quenneville’s duster
(Ed. Note: This is a weekly feature on Puck Daddy in which we vote on the major NHL Awards. “We” being Wyshynski, Leahy, Mooney, Yahoo! NHL editor Sam McCaig and Yahoo! NHL scribe Nick Cotsonika. Voting is completed Monday night. The results will run every Tuesday on this very blog. Enjoy.)
Both Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks have impeccable mustaches; dusters that are so substantial it wouldn’t shock us to see them live independently from their host bodies.
At the rate they’re going, one of those magnificent lip ticklers will smooch the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. But who has the lead?
Coming up, the leaders for the major NHL awards …
A note on the voting: All four panelists ranked the top five for each award, and point values were assigned to each player. Ties were broken by how high a player was ranked on the majority of ballots.
Hart Trophy
1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins (25)
2. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (20)
3. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks (9)
4. Nazem Kadri, Toronto Maple Leafs (7)
5. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning (6)
Crosby continues to lead the pack for the MVP honors, although one wonders how a prolonged absence to injury would affect that. Kane is the clear second choice ahead of conference rival Getzlaf. But look what we have here: Nazem Kadri of the Leafs, stating his case with 39 points in 36 games. Stamkos just edged both John Tavares and Jonathan Toews for the No. 5 hole.
Norris Trophy
1. Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild (24)
2. P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens (19)
3. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins (10)
4. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Phoenix Coyotes (10)
5. Francois Beauchemin, Anaheim Ducks (5)
P.K. Subban has tied Suter and Letang for the NHL lead in scoring for a defenseman with 28 points. OEL continues his steady season for the Coyotes. Beauchemin is the darling of defensive defensemen, but he also has 21 points on the year – more than Ekman-Larsson!
Vezina Trophy
1. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (15)
2. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (15)
3. Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks (9)
4. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks (8)
5. Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets (8)
Northeast Division throwdown! Rask and Price are neck and neck for the top goalie honors, despite Rask having a slightly better GAA (2.02). Niemi has started 31 games for the Sharks and posted a sterling 2.12 GAA in them. Crawford (1.97 GAA) has 15 wins in 21 starts, while Bobrovsky has helped rescue the Blue Jackets from certain lottery doom.
Calder Trophy
1. Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers (24)
2. Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens (17)
3. Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild (11)
4. Cory Conacher, Tampa Bay Lightning (9)
5. Jake Muzzin, Los Angeles Kings (6)
Rookie of the month Muzzin makes his first appearance on the Calder Watch, as Huberdeau continues to lead the pack for rookie of the year. That Brendan Gallagher push, though …
Jack Adams Award
1. Paul MacLean, Ottawa Senators (22)
2. Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks (21)
3. Michel Therrien, Montreal Canadiens (12)
4. Bruce Boudreau, Anaheim Ducks (8)
5. Mike Yeo, Minnesota Wild (4)
Coach Q has been toppled! MacLean takes over the top spot in the coach of the year rankings, having somehow willed his collection of fill-ins and Daniel Alfredsson to a playoff seed. Quenneville is still right at the top. Mike Yeo also debuts here, thanks to the surging Wild.
