Handing Out the 2008-2009 NHL Hardware

The least interesting award goes to the same man it did last year. He again exhibited his gentlemanly play with just 22 PIM (up two from last year) while playing at a dominant level all season long. Consider him the new Ron Francis.

Runners-up: Martin St. Louis, Ray Whitney

Of all the awards, this is the one I am most sure of. Not only is Richards defensively responsible at even strength and a vital part of the Flyers’ sixth-ranked penalty kill, but the young captain also led the league in shorthanded goals and points, making him doubly dangerous on the PK.

Still, he will probably be overlooked in favor of incumbent Pavel Datsyuk, even though Datsyuk is not even in the top 140 in average shorthanded time on ice among forwards and the Detroit penalty kill finished 25th this year. This is a travesty if Richards doesn’t win.

Runners-up: Ryan Kesler, Jordan Staal

Picked by many to finish dead last in the league, Murray somehow rallied the troops in St. Louis and guided the Blues to the playoffs for the first time since the lockout, overcoming key injuries to Erik Johnson, Paul Kariya, and Eric Brewer.

Young players like David Backes, Patrik Berglund, and T.J. Oshie all blossomed under Murray, who looks to have cemented himself as bench boss for a while in St. Louis. In a year filled with numerous worthy coaches (and a lot of fired ones), Murray stands tall.

Runners-up: Brent Sutter, Claude Julien

It’s been a long time coming for Chara, who can be simply dominant at both ends of the ice. He didn’t crack the top 10 in scoring by defensemen, but his physical game and defensive presence more than make up for it.

Mike Green had a ridiculous offensive year, but he doesn’t have enough impact defensively to win an award intended first and foremost for a defenseman. We can get into arguments about having separate awards for offensive and defensive defensemen another time.

Nicklas Lidstrom had another stellar season, but the six-time Norris winner isn’t leaned on nearly as heavily by Detroit as Chara is by Boston.

Runners-up: Lidstrom, Green

It was an unbelievable debut season for the Columbus stopper, who led the league in shutouts and finished second in GAA. Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne gave him a strong push but Mason gets the nod because the Blue Jackets made the playoffs while the Predators did not.

Ironically, Mason’s teammate Derick Brassard probably would have been the favorite for the Calder if he didn’t get injured in December. Bobby Ryan had a great second half and Steven Stamkos rebounded in a big way, but overall it was a weak year for rookie scorers.

Runners-up: Rinne, Ryan

He probably still has his doubters, but I find it hard to argue with Thomas’ league-leading GAA and save percentage numbers. Thomas was helped by the usually capable relief work of Manny Fernandez, which kept Thomas at 54 games and prevented him from being worn down or overexposed.

Roberto Luongo would have won this had he stayed healthy and played his customary 70 games, while Henrik Lundqvist was in the mix after once again carrying a very average Rangers team into the playoffs.

Runners-up: Lundqvist, Steve Mason

I know this is a controversial pick, but let me take you through the process of elimination that led me to this conclusion.

Evgeni Malkin led the league in points but he and Sidney Crosby largely cancel each other out. You can’t discount the presence of one when determining how valuable the other one is to the team.

Ovechkin again led the league in goals, but also had help from three other point-per-game players (Backstrom, Semin, Green). Datsyuk finished fourth in league scoring behind Malkin, Ovechkin, and Crosby, but he gets a lot of help from the likes of Hossa, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom.

And then there’s Parise with his impressive line of 45-49-94, leading a Devils team that most thought would have to fight for a playoff spot. When Martin Brodeur was injured very early in the year and the Devils were largely dismissed, Parise stepped up.

Yes, he also had some help from people like Patrik Elias and his linemates Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner. And Scott Clemmensen was unexpectedly good filling in for Brodeur. But Parise was consistently their best player when they needed him the most.

As for the consideration of defensemen (Chara) and goaltenders (Steve Mason, Lundqvist, Luongo) for the Hart, the NHL has shown that it takes a truly unreal season to move the MVP out from among the forward ranks, so I will keep things simple.

Some people will say that my method of thinking penalizes players with very good supporting casts. But I think that’s exactly the point. You have to figure out which one player was the most indispensable to his team in that given season. To me, it’s Parise.

Runners-up: Ovechkin, Datsyuk