MVP, Norris, Rookie awards all hotly contested for season’s final quarter

This man is better at hockey than you are at whatever it is you do

Most columns handicapping the NHL awards tend to be written around mid-season or the all-star break, but as we enter the 2011-12 campaign’s final quarter, it is possible to get a firmer grasp on how voting will, or should, play out. While it will take nearly miraculous happenstance for the favorites for the Vezina Trophy and the Jack Adams Trophy to fall out of the proverbial cat-bird seats, most of the major awards are still being hotly contested.

Jack Adams Trophy (Coach of the Year): Ken Hitchcock, St. Louis Blues

This is really all you need to know. On November 6, the day Hitchcock was hired to right the Blues, the team stood at 6-8-0. Since Hitchcock took over, they have soared to an incredible 29-7-7 mark. Though talented, they are far from the most talented team in their division, much less the NHL. Under Hitchcock, St. Louis has become perhaps the toughest team to play against in the circuit. All four lines of forwards hit and play two-way hockey. The defense, particularly young prodigy Alex Pietrangelo, has thrived. This team never takes a shift off, much less a game, and will be one of the league’s most dangerous hockey clubs to face come post-season, a post-season the Blues likely would have missed out on if not for the hiring of Hitchcock.

Runners Up: 2)John Tortorella, New York Rangers; 3)Paul MacLean, Ottawa Senators

The Rangers have soared into the top spot in the Eastern Conference under the blue-collar, lunch-pail ethic of ”Torts”. They hit and block shots with abandon, surprisingly out-playing more talented conference foes such as Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia all season long. Ottawa was picked by most pundits to finish in the bottom three of the Eastern Conference but instead find themselves in playoff position, owing largely to MacLean’s peerless game-preparation and up-tempo style.

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Adam Henrique, New Jersey Devils

It is not just that Henrique is leading all rookies in the NHL with 37 points, it is that he does absolutely everything with the poise and acumen of a ten-year veteran. The 22 year-old from Brantford, Ontario is also a terrific defensive presence, contributing to dominant play on the Devils’ top-notch penalty kill.  His seven shorthanded points are tied for tops in the league, and he is not afraid to play physically either, as evidenced by his lay-out hit of the powerful Jarome Iginla last month. It has been written here before that he is reminiscent of a young Mike Richards, and the more one watches him the more one would have difficulty denying the comparison.

Runners Up: 2)Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers; 3)Matt Read, Philadelphia Flyers

“The Nuge” has the most upside of any rookie forward in the NHL this season, and is leading all first-year players in points-per-game despite the ripe young age of 18. A future fixture among the league scoring leaders, Nugent-Hopkins might be on top of this list were it not for injuries which have cost him to miss over 15 games. Read, like Henrique, is a very good player in all situations. He has performed admirably on the power play and penalty kill, and fits as well on a scoring line as a checking line. His 34 points trail only Henrique and Nugent-Hopkins among first-year players.

Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward): David Backes, St. Louis Blues

I have written before that Backes is the most underrated player in all of hockey, but this is unlikely to last for long. An intimidating hitter his entire career and always excellent in the face-off circle, under the tutelage of Ken Hitchcock he has become one of the most positionally sound centers in the league. His physical strength is perhaps peerless among NHL pivots, and his +19 rating is attributable to the fact that, when he’s not scoring himself, he’s shutting the opposition’s center down.

Runners Up: 2)Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 3)Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

No forward is as adept at stealing the puck as the cunning Datsyuk, who plays as smart a game as any hockey player since Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky hung up the skates. Right now, Backes and Datsyuk are neck and neck as the top defensive forwards in the league. Think of it like this: Datsyuk is like being stalked silently and then stealthily attacked from behind by a panther. Backes is like being mauled head-on by a grizzly bear. Either way, you lose. Toews is also terrific defensively, a beast in all three zones, and a face-off monster. Before his career is over, he will likely have several Selke Trophies and perhaps a Hart, as well.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender): Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

This one is not even close. Hands down, “Henrik the King” is the best goalie in the world. His save percentage of .941 has a chance to break the all-time NHL record — no one is close. His 1.77 goals-against average also easily tops the league, as does his seven shutouts. He is so difficult to score on it is almost mean. It is impossible to watch him play without watching several opposing forwards look in disbelief to the rafters after a stunning save as if to ask the heavens above, how did Lundqvist do that?

Runners Up: 2)Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 3)Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings

The Kings’ goal-scoring woes have been well-documented all year long. How are they still in the playoff hunt? Largely due to the athletic Quick — among the league leaders with a sparkling .934 save percentage, a stellar 1.89 goals-against average, a superb six shutouts. Howard leads the NHL in wins with 32 despite missing time recently with a broken finger, and has stopped over 92% of the shots he has faced this season.

Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman): Dan Girardi, New York Rangers

This is the most hotly contested award right now. I give the nod to Girardi because, although offensively he is not as gifted as the other contenders, he has had a season reminiscent of defensive all-time greats Rod Langway and Scott Stevens. Among the league leaders in blocked shots and hits among defensemen, he leads all NHL-ers in ice time and is seemingly impossible to beat one-on-one in his own zone. Girardi plays a mistake-free and super-steady game, and deserves to be mentioned among the NHL elite.

Runners Up: 2)Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins; 3)Shea Weber, Nashville Predators; 4)Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

Where would the Bruins be without the hulking Chara, his shut-down defense and blistering shot on offense? Certainly not at the top of their division; more like fighting to make the playoffs. He is entering the rarified air of the all-time NHL blueline greats. Weber’s stat-line of 11-26-37, +20 is sterling but does not tell the whole story. He is a defensive stalwart peered only by Chara and Girardi in his own zone. I felt the need to include Karlsson in this hotly contested trophy race, he has emerged as the top offensive rearguard in the entire league and has greatly improved his play in the defensive zone over the course of the season.

Hart Trophy (MVP): Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins

For all the talk of Sidney Crosby, right now the most feared player in the world in Malkin. With Crosby’s concussion woes robbing him of most of the season, Malkin has put the Penguins squarely on his shoulders and has led them to one of the best records in the league with an NHL-leading 69 points. Malkin’s competitive drive is without question and without peer, and his on-ice vision and sublime skill combine to make him, currently, the greatest hockey player on the planet.

Runners Up: 2)Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 3)Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils

It’s like a Russian party at the top of the MVP race, but how can one argue? Not only is Datsyuk one of the top-two defensive forwards in the circuit, but he currently stands fourth in the NHL in assists with 42 and eighth in points with 57. His often-spectacular goals are a staple of highlight reels, and he has the best backhand shot the league has seen since, again, Gretzky and Lemieux. Kovalchuk sits just behind Datsyuk for ninth in NHL scoring with 56 points despite playing out of position on right wing to accomodate line-mate Zach Parise and sacrificing offense to greatly improve his defensive game. This has led to him becoming one of the top penalty-killers in the league, and it is important to note that he has helped carry the Devils into playoff position in the Eastern Conference’s toughest division by leading all NHL forwards in ice time.