Another champion has been crowned, and the 2014-15 season has met its conclusion. The 2015 NHL Awards signify the end of the campaign and celebration of those who were the best in certain categories.
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the players):
Carey Price
Carey Price had a season for the ages in 2014-15, enough to get voted as MVP among his fellow players. This would not be the only award he would snag this night, however.
Selke Trophy (forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game):
Patrice Bergeron
I’ll be blunt: Bergeron is so damn good, it’s unfair. Bergeron has been a Selke Trophy finalist so many times, one would expect that his reputation would get him in. That might be the case, but Bergeron still lived up to that reputation of being the best two-way forward in hockey. Among qualified forwards, Bergeron had the fifth highest TOIC% (17.94), 12th lowest CA60 (46.35), 5th lowest zone start percentage (43.27%) and, to the surprise of nobody, the highest face off win percentage (59.76%). It’s nuts that this could be considered an off year for Bergeron defensively, yet still it results in another Selke Trophy.
(As predicted by Dave Stevenson)
Norris Trophy (top defenseman):
Erik Karlsson
For a second consecutive season, Erik Karlsson posted a 20-goal season with the Ottawa Senators and is leading all defensemen with 66 points, 6 ahead of PK Subban. His offensive game has never been in question, as he continues to prove he’s one of the league’s best offensive-defensemen, but it’s his defensive side of the game that has seen much improvement. His giveaways have been reduced from 115 last season to 98 this year. The time spent in his own end has dramatically been reduced, despite playing over 27 minutes a game, the third highest average among defensemen, while his plus-minus rating has gone from minus-15 to a plus-7 in just one year’s time.
(As predicted by Shawn Wilken)
Jack Adams Award (top head coach):
Bob Hartley
When Bob Hartley said he was going to the Calgary Flames instead of interviewing for the head coach position with the Montreal Canadiens because he saw more playoff potential than them, it didn’t take long for Hartley to realize his assessment was wrong. The Flames were ripe for a rebuild, not a playoff run. What the rest of us didn’t recognize was that Bob Hartley may have been wrong about that season, he wasn’t wrong on the Flames being close to the playoffs. It didn’t take long for Hartley to turn the Calgary Flames into the surprise of the National Hockey League. While the Senators and Wild have been second half successes, the Flames went from basement dwellers with their Alberta brethren to playoff position all season long to ousting the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings from any chance of the playoffs. Bob Hartley deserved the award from his role in getting young players to stick with the system, giving Jiri Hudler the room to be a leader and keeping the team on track to the playoffs after losing their best defenceman in Mark Giordano.
General Manager of the Year:
Steve Yzerman
When General Manager Steve Yzerman came to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team just added young stars Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. After an Eastern Conference Final appearance in 2011, the team would not make the playoffs again until 2014, when they were swept by the Montreal Canadiens. This year, with the help of Yzerman and his staff, the team’s true colors showed, as they won the Eastern Conference. Moves by Yzerman during his tenure to build the contender include snagging Ben Bishop from the Ottawa Senators, drafting Ondrej Palat in the 7th round, taking Nikita Kucherov in the 2nd round, and getting Tyler Johnson as an undrafted free agent. Free agent signings this year included Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman, each playing instrumental parts in their respective roles getting the Bolts to the Cup.
Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (goal-scoring leader):
Alex Ovechkin captured his 5th “Rocket Richard” with his 6th 50-goal season of his career. He lit the lamp 53 times, scoring 25 powerplay goals, 11 game-winners, and taking 395 shots. He led the league in all three categories and finished ten goals ahead of the next best goal-getter in Steven Stamkos.
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (for leadership on and off the ice and noteworthy humanitarian contribution to community):
Henrik Zetterberg
Zetterberg, for his work around the Detroit Area and growth of his own “Zetterberg Foundation” was this year’s award winner.
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award:
Jonathan Toews
The Chicago captain, for his work around Chicago, particularly for the mentally disabled, was this year’s award winner nominated by his teammates.
NHL Foundation Player Award (community service):
Brent Burns, best known for “Burnzie’s Buzz Cuts” and “Defending the Blueline”, was the recipient of this year’s award.
Art Ross Trophy (scoring champion):
Jamie Benn
Benn ended up winning the Art Ross trophy on a surge for the ages in the last six games. Seven points behind the leader, the Stars captain racked up 11 points in five games to pull within one of the leader. With four points in game 82, Benn earned the scoring title. He finished with 87 points, 59 at even strength, five shorthanded, and 23 power play points.
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Aaron Ekblad
The 2014 1st overall pick was just the second player in OHL history to be granted exceptional player status. Ekblad was an asset to the Panthers powerplay, penalty kill and even strength situations, and posted 39 points (12 goals and 27 assists). He has been the most fun-to-watch defensman this season, and some people have compared him to Nick Lidstrom as the next generational blue-liner in the league. Ekblad has amazing hockey sense and is a huge game changer in all three zones, looking like an anchor to the Panthers’ quest for Cup contention in the next decade.
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Carey Price
First up, we have one of the best goalies in the 2014-15 campaign, who has been one of the most consistent goalies in the league. He has made out of this world save after save, night in night out. His numbers just don’t do his overall play justice, a line of 44-16-6 with an astonishing .933 SV% and a GAA of 1.96 through 66 games. The fact that he was able to keep a GAA below 2.00 while playing the average goalie’s full season is nothing short of spectacular. Usually one or two goalies are able to accomplish that feat per season, but Price is the only full time goalie with a GAA that low in 2014-15, save for Andrew Hammond who has played 40 less games. He either leads the league or is in the top five for almost every goalie statistic, including wins, shutouts, shots against (1,953), but he is 18th in goals against with 130. He also broke the Habs franchise record for wins in one season, the record being 42 held by Jacques Plante (2 times) and Ken Dryden. He has also won the William Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the season.
(As predicted by Tyler Shea)
William M. Jennings Trophy (goaltender who plays at least 25 games for the club allowing the fewest goals)
Corey Crawford and Carey Price
With Price’s stats already highlighted, Crawford allowed 126 goals and posted a .924 save percentage and 2.27 GAA, helping the Blackhawks win their third Cup in six years in 2015.
Lady Byng Trophy (player best combining sportsmanship and ability)
Jiri Hudler
Hudler logged just 14 penalty minutes on the year, netting 76 points and leading the Flames back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009, winning a playoff series in the process in the midst of what should be a “rebuild.”
Masterton Trophy (perseverance and dedication to hockey):
Devan Dubnyk
After five seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Devan Dubnyk was traded to the Nashville Predators, played just two games, and was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the tail end of the 2013-14 season, where he played all of his games for the Hamilton Bulldogs. He was mulling his options in the offseason possibly to leave the NHL but ultimately stayed and signed a contract with the Arizona Coyotes. After taking the starting job from Mike Smith posting a .916 save percentage on a team that would finish third-to-last in the standings, Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher fetched Dubnyk from the Coyotes for a third round pick when the team’s season was at a breaking point. Dubnyk played a huge role in the sudden turnaround, posting a 27-9-2 record with a 1.78 GAA and .936 save percentage. The 29-year old Regina native faced a lot of adversity and his response speaks for itself.
Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team):
Carey Price
The Montreal Canadiens are a good team, not doubt about it, but there’s absolutely no chance they’d be in the position they are today without Price’s stunning performance. The Habs won the Atlantic Division thanks in large part to Price. It’s easy to see just how valuable he is to his team by imagining what would happen to the Canadiens if Price were to be injured during the playoffs. They finished 18th in the league in goals for, but still managed an incredibly successful season, tying Chicago for the fewest goals against. If the Hart is a true MVP award, and not just awarded to the best (or highest-profile) player, there is no one who deserved it more than Carey Price. Price became the first goalie to win the MVP of the League since 2002, when former Montreal Canadien Jose Theodore took the prize.
(As predicted by Charlie O’Connor Clarke)
Main Photo:
