Your 2008 NHL Conn Smythe Trophy Winner

Many of the NHL’s biggest stars will get their chance to shine starting Wednesday, when 16 teams battle over four grueling rounds until only one is left standing.

The ultimate prize, of course, is Lord Stanley’s Cup. There have been an abundance of predictions by so-called experts, fans and players alike of which team has the best chance of holding the cup aloft.

I not only intend to boldly predict this years champion but also the Conn Smythe winner, awarded to the playoffs most valuable player.

The Conn Smythe Trophy was introduced in 1964 by the Maple Leaf Gardens Limited to honor Conn Smythe, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, and the former owner, general manager, and coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Forty-two players have had their names engraved on the side of this highly regarded award, from the first ever recipient, Montreal legend, Jean Beliveau, to last years four-time Stanley Cup winner, defenseman Scott Neidermayer.

Who will win the honor this season? Three out of the four last playoffs, a goaltender has taken home the prize. Will another masked man steal the award? Or will it be a forward who will lead his team to victory through countless courageous acts and timely goals similar to heroics displayed by Tampa Bay Lightning centerman during his teams 2004 Cup winning victory?

In the end it’s my belief that the two teams battling it out for the Silver Chalice will be the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings.

Jaromir Jagr has actually looked interested of late while Henrik Lundqvist has found his early season form when he best impersonated a brick wall. While the Rangers' backend appears young, they were the rock that the rest of the blueshirts leaned on during some rough spells they fell into over the middle portion of the season.

Scott Gomez and Chris Drury are bon afide playoff studs while three-time Cup winner Brendan Shanahan knows what it takes to get to the top.

Some may laugh at my predicted Eastern Conference champs but in my opinion the East is up for grabs. Nearly every team has some question marks but it’s the Rangers that have squeaked out several 1-0, or more specifically, one goal games, over the course of the season. This will play a big role in the always tight postseason.

In the West, the Detroit Red Wings cruised through most of the season on route to another Presidents Trophy winning campaign. If not for a brief spell in February, in which the Wings lost their top-four defenseman for weeks at a time, their inflated points total might have looked even more bloated.

Last year, the Anaheim Ducks took advantage of key injuries to Detroit’s blue-line when they defeated the 2002 Stanley Cup champions in six games. The two clubs appear destined to meet again. This time it will be Detroit’s depth that prevails. With the emergence of Johan Franzen, the addition of rugged defenseman Brad Stuart and a more balanced attack over all four lines, Detroit will muster out a tough seven-game series to advance into the Finals for the first time in six years.

When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presents the award for the playoffs most valuable player, it will be a name he has summoned forth previously. The 2008 winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy will go to Detroit Captain Nick Lidstrom.

Lidstrom’s icy composure, rock-solid defensive play and timely contributions on the power-play will ensure that his name is immortalized on the side of the late great Conn Smythe’s trophy once again.

Henry Dyck

---

[1] http://www.nhl.com/trophies/smythe.html