Everybody loves trophies. This is especially true in hockey, which lays claim to some of the best pieces of hardware in all of sports.
The Stanley Cup is, undeniably, the most lusted after trophy in all of sports, pined over by every athlete fortunate enough to pull on an NHL sweater. The Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the playoffs, is also a pretty sweet trinket, sure to spruce up any display case.
Hockey even gets its individual awards right.
The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, awarded to the League's top goal scorer, is not only easy on the eyes, but honors one of the game's all-time great scorers. The Art Ross Trophy, with pucks on the pedestal detailing past winners, is the perfect reward for leading the League in scoring. The Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded to the League's best defensive forward, is a classic with a beautiful two-handled bowl atop a wooden support.
But as good as all these trophies are, it is Crashing the Net's opinion that there are not enough of them. There is so much about the game that should be celebrated that cannot be accommodated by the 16 individual trophies now on offer.
So, this week's Opening Faceoff proposes 18 potential pieces of hardware that could be added to the NHL's permanent trophy case. None of these new suggestions are offered to lessen the mystique of the trophies already on hand that, through decades of ownership by the game's best and brightest players, have been woven into the fabric of the game.
Rather, they are additions meant to further celebrate aspects of the game that currently are too specific to garner end-of-the-season accolades. The first five suggested by CTN could easily be added to the already established first-tier of trophies currently handed out.
The other 13, meanwhile, would be considered secondary awards that could be handed out before the actual televised Awards Show in June, much in the same way that many of the lesser Academy Awards - sound mixing, visual effects, animated short film and the like - are awarded before the gala Academy Awards television special.
These new trophies, named after the players that best exemplified the skill being honored, would also celebrate the achievements of many recently retired players who should be remembered by future generations of fans.
Now, onto a description of each of these awards, followed by who would most likely win each if they awarded at this June's Award show.
Montreal Forum Award - CTN pictures a handsome bronzed replica of the defunct Montreal Forum, perhaps the most intimidating building the NHL has ever known. The team with the best home record would receive this award each year. 2007 winner: Nashville Predators.
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Award - Philadelphia's Pelle Lindbergh was on his way to greatness when a tragic car accident cut his life short. He was just 26 at the time. This trophy, which would feature Lindbergh guarding his net, would be given annually to the best goalie in the NHL under the age of 27. 2007 winner: Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders.
Steve Yzerman Award - The trophy would be a bronzed representation of Yzerman's Detroit jersey, with the 'C' prominent in the top-left quadrant. Yzerman, who retired before the start of this season, served as captain of the Wings for 20 years, the longest tenure of any captain in NHL history. It would be given annually to the best captain in the NHL. 2007 winner: Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche.
Bobby Orr Award - This trophy would be among the prettiest of the bunch, depicting Orr's Stanley Cup-winning goal celebration as he flew through the air, his outstretched body parallel to the ice surface with his stick raised triumphantly. During his time with Boston, Orr revolutionized the way the game was played and he is the only defenseman to ever lead the League in scoring, doing it twice. This award would be given annually to the defensemen with the most points. 2007 winner: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings.
Wayne Gretzky Golden Stick - A solid-gold, actual-size replica of the Titan-brand stick made famous by Gretzky would go annually to the player with the most assists in the NHL. Gretzky accumulated 1,963 assists during his legendary career, 714 more than his next-closest pursuer. 2007 winner: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins.
Scott Stevens Trophy - This trophy would feature a bent-low Stevens administering one of his patented open-ice hits to an anonymous opponent, portraying the savage nature of the player that spent more than a decade as the most-feared hitter in the game. It would be given annually to the most intimidating hitter in the NHL. 2007 winner: Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.
Cam Neely Trophy - A small statuette of Neely about to be crosschecked across his No. 8 as he fires off a shot from just outside the opponent's net would be the reward for the player adjudged to be the best power forward each season. Neely, a recent inductee into the Hall of Fame, could do it all before injuries ended his brilliant career prematurely. 2007 winner: Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers.
Ron Tugnutt Award - The diminutive Tugnutt was always one of CTN's favorite goalies, a place secured when he made 70 saves against Boston in a 3-3 tie back in 1991. He played 16 years with eight NHL franchises, serving mostly as a backup. "Tugger" epitomized what a good second-string goalie should be. 2007 winner: Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild.
Don Cherry Suit - Everyone is familiar with Don Cherry's bombastic nature as the star of CBC's Coach's Corner, but Cherry was also pretty colorful during his time behind NHL benches in Colorado and Boston. He was a star as a coach, something that is all-too-rare these days. The winner of this award for the League's most charismatic coach, voted on by the NHL beat writers, would get a custom-tailored suit designed by Don Cherry himself. 2007 winner: John Tortorella, Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bob Probert Belt - This award would be a championship belt like the ones worn by champions in boxing and it would be awarded each year to the NHL's most-feared fighter, the status Probert held annually during his prime in Detroit. The vote would be among all NHL players with at least three fighting majors that year. 2007 winner: Georges Laraque, Phoenix Coyotes.
Patrick Roy Trophy - This award would be given to the goalie judged to be most difficult to beat in big-game situations and would be voted on by the League's goalies. For now, it would be named after the retired Roy, who is considered the best "money" goalie of his generation. Eventually, however, the name would have to be changed to Martin Brodeur, the current best "big-game" goalie out there and a man that threatens to break most, if not all, of Roy's records. 2007 winner: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils.
Theo Fleury Award - At 5-foot-6, Theo Fleury was one of the best little men to play the game at the NHL level. Despite questions about his lack of size in what was, at the time, a big-man's game, Fleury silenced his many critics with eight seasons of 30 or more goals during his NHL career. The award, however, would be expanded to encompass players 5-foot-10 and under to assure a representative pool of candidates each year. 2007 winner: Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning.
Adam Oates Award - Somehow, Adam Oates was passed up in the NHL Entry Draft and forced to sign a free-agent deal after graduating from college. He used the draft snub as motivation and by the time he was done he was just the eighth player in the history of the NHL to finish his career with more than 1,000 assists. 2007 winner: Daniel Briere, Buffalo Sabres.
Craig Ludwig Kneepad -- This award would go annually to the League's most prolific shotblocker. It is named after defensemen Craig Ludwig, who perfected this art during a distinguished 17-year NHL career that included two Stanley Cup championships. He is famous for the extra-wide shinpads he wore throughout his career, pieces of equipment that now reside at the Hockey Hall of Fame. The winner of this award would receive a replica of those shin pads to commemorate the achievement. 2007 winner: Anton Volchenkov, Ottawa Senators.
Tiger Williams Award - Dave "Tiger" Williams is the most penalized man in NHL history, amassing 3,966 minutes in the sin bin during a wild 13-year career. What better man to represent the award for the penalty-minute leader each season. The trophy would be a replica of a penalty box with a door that could be manually opened and closed. 2007 winner: Ben Eager, Philadelphia Flyers.
Terry Sawchuk Memorial Award - Sawchuk holds the record for most shutouts by a goalie in a career, a mark of 103 that was thought untouchable until recently. He had four seasons where he recorded double-digit shutout totals. 2007 winner: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils.
Wayne Connelly Award - With the shootout taking on added importance since its introduction last year, it's about time that specialists in this tie-breaking procedure be honored. The award would be named after Connelly, who scored the first successful overtime penalty shot in the history of the NHL back in 1968 while a member of the Minnesota North Stars. 2007 winner: Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild.
Adam Graves Award -- Throughout his distinguished career, Graves always played second fiddle to stronger personalities on his teams. Yet, there was rarely a player more valuable than Graves, who played with a quiet determination, on any team he represented. This award, voted on by the NHLPA, would go to the player adjudged to make the biggest contribution possible in the quietest manner. 2007 winner: Chris Mason, Nashville Predators.
Cant belive it!!!
