What Does One Defenseman Need to Do To Win The Norris Trophy?

These days in the NHL, it's tough to win an award with all the talent distributed among the league. The 2008-2009 Norris candidates were Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings, and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins.

Many would have thought 100 percent that the Norris would have gone to Mike Green, but instead, it went to Zdeno Chara. Don't get me wrong, Chara is a top notch defenseman, but Mike Green went above and beyond that of Chara in almost all categories.

Looking at each player's most recent season, I would think Chara was the least likely to win the Norris, but he proved me and most of the hockey world wrong.

The most impressive stat among defensemen this season was Mike Green's 31 goals, the most by a defenseman since Ray Bourque during the 1994-1995 season. Not to mention, all 31 goals came in just 68 games.

Green also set a record this season by scoring the most goals in consecutive games. Other than his record-breaking goal scoring, Green also added 42 assists, which was good enough for 72 points. Green finished first in points among all defensemen and 30th in the NHL in points.

Nicklas Lidstrom came off another great season with 16 goals and 43 assists, finishing tied for third with teammate Brian Rafalski and Scott Niedermeyer with 59 points. Since Lidstrom wasn't favored to win, nor did he win, we will leave him out of this.

Now, Zdeno Chara had a solid season as well with a 19-31-50 line in 80 games. His 50 points was tied for 12th among defensemen and 105th among the NHL.

Mike Green managed to score 12 more goals, rack up 11 more assists, and get 23 more points in 12 less games! Maybe we can say Chara is more consistent, but consistency doesn't win Norris trophies.

Getting more in depth, Mike Green also ended the year with a better +/- than Zdeno Chara, but barely. Green was a plus-24, and Chara was a plus-23.

Chara had 95 penalty minutes compared to Green's 68, but staying out of the penalty box is what helps a team. Shots are always important and Green had 27 more, ending up with a total of 243. Chara had a total of 216.

Green also had a better shooting percentage of 12.8 percent, and Chara had an 8.8 shooting percentage.

Obviously, both players prove to be important to their respective clubs and they both showed it by averaging 26 minutes of ice time and 27 shifts per game. The only category Chara truly dominated was hits, where he picked up 169 compared to Green's 86. Also, Chara helped guide the Boston Bruins to a first place finish, whereas Green's Washington Capitals finished in second, but both teams lost in the second round of the playoffs.

My ultimate question, is how can you look at the year Green had and where he ranks among defensemen in the major catergories and not just hand over the Norris?

Mike Green's Ranking Among Defensemen

Goals—First (31)

Assist—Seventh (42)

Points—First (73)

Power Play Goals—First (18)

+/-—Fourth (+24)

Shots—Fourth (243)

Shooting Percentage—First (12.8 percent)