The NHL has named Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Auston Matthews as the three finalists for the 2020-21 Ted Lindsay award. The award is given annually to the league’s most outstanding player during the regular season. The next winner will assume the mantel from 2019-20 winner, Leon Draisaitl. Sportsnet revealed the trio Wednesday morning.
Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Sidney Crosby have been named finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award. 🏆
Who do you think should win? pic.twitter.com/WMtju75qAj
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 2, 2021
Ted Lindsay Award Finalists
It is hard to argue with the trio of Matthews, Crosby and McDavid. All three were brilliant in their own particular ways during the shortened regular season. Matthews led the league in goals with 41 while McDavid’s 105 total points crushed the field. While Crosby didn’t finish near the top of any individual category with 24 goals and 62 points in 55 games, he did lead the Pittsburgh Penguins into the playoffs for a 15th consecutive campaign. It is reasonable to think that Brad Marchand or Draisaitl deserved more recognition than Crosby, but the Pens star remains an outstanding player.
The Ted Lindsay Award is, of course, named for former Detroit Red Wings star Ted Lindsay. The Hall of Fame skater played from 1944-1945. He won four Stanley Cups and posted over 850 points in a much different era of hockey. He also worked to create the first Players Association which led to a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks. Lindsay was very active within hockey circles following his retirement, appearing on TV as an NBC analyst and acting as Detroit’s general manager and coach in the late 1970s.
Who Should Win
It is extraordinarily hard to pick against McDavid for any regular-season award. The Edmonton Oilers watched an absolutely spectacular season unfold that we may never see again even in the modern scoring environment. His exploits could earn him not just the Ted Lindsay, but also the Hart Trophy. Truthfully, any of the three deserve serious consideration for their efforts during an unusual hockey campaign.
