Early-season NHL honours
Clear eyes, full heart, let’s give out some awards!
Ajitpaul Mangat, Staff
What do the NHL and the best sports show on television, Friday Night Lights, have in common? More than you may think: they are both under-appreciated by Americans, they offer compelling drama week-in and week-out, and there are obvious similarities between the characters of Friday Night Lights and many NHL players. So I present my early-season NHL awards, named in honour of Friday Night Lights.
The “Matt Saracen” Award — Most Impressive Rookie Saviours
Where hockey was once a “man’s” game — dominated by grizzled veterans who excelled at checking and dumping and chasing the puck, the “new” NHL is truly all about youthful exuberance, ingenuity, and athleticism. Nowhere is this more evident than in Chicago. Where a green, bright-eyed Matt Saracen saved the Dillon Panthers 2006-07 season from certain ruin, the Blackhawks franchise has been resurrected from oblivion by a pair of wunderkind rookie forwards — 19-year-old Patrick Kane and 19-year-old Winnipegger Jonathan Toews. Of these two saviours, it is Kane who has been most impressive, leading all rookie scorers with 27 points through his first 26 games. Toews is not far behind, scoring 20 points in 24 games, so look for these two to battle all season for the Calder trophy.
The “Jason Street” Award — Most Disastrous Injuries
Like the 2006-07 Dillon Panthers, the 2007-08 Edmonton Oilers began the season with apparitions of grandeur (read: Stanley Cup victory). And like the Panthers, injuries caused the early part of their season to fail to live up to expectations. The most disastrous of these injuries have been to high profile off-season acquisitions Joni Pitkanen, acquired via trade from Philadelphia and Sheldon Souray, signed as a free agent. Pitkanen’s nagging injuries have caused him to score a meagre two points in his first 13 games, while Souray’s injuries have been more severe allowing him to play in only three games of his team’s first 26 games. The Panthers were able to overcome their early season struggles by replacing their injured player (quarterback Jason Street). The Oilers — near the bottom of the entire league in points — will need to do the same, and quickly.
The “Tim Riggins” Award — Most Improbable Comeback
Tim Riggins is the one Dillon Panther you hate to love. For all his drunken debauchery, cheating, and self-destruction, he is the ultimate underdog, so you cannot help but cheer for him. Equally, Jeremy Roenick is the NHL player that most hate to love. For all his egotism and non-stop blabbering, you cannot help but respect a player who has accomplished as much as Roenick has in his prolific 19-year NHL career. Many hockey pundits thought San Jose Sharks’ general manager, Doug Wilson, was making a huge mistake signing a player who looked to be well past his prime. But Roenick has made Wilson look like a genius. He has collected a respectable 13 points through 22 games, positively mentored the Sharks’ younger players, and helped lead the team to second place in the competitive Pacific Division.
The “Ray ‘Voodoo’ Tatum” Award — Worst Off-Season Acquisition
Like a destructive cloud of pomposity “Voodoo” Tatum descended upon the city of Dillon threatening to destroy their beloved football team. The Panthers were able to rally, and excise the Voodoo that had jinxed them, but prospects do not look so promising for the Washington Capitals. Although not endowed with such a fitting moniker, defenceman Tom Poti, acquired via free agency in the off season from the New York Islanders, has had a similar effect in Washington, where he is doing nothing to buoy a sinking ship. After a career season during which he scored 44 points, the magic seems to have worn off, as Poti has scored just seven points this season, which puts him on pace for less than half of last season’s total. Poti needs to promptly improve his performance or at least come up with an apt nickname.
The “Brian ‘Smash’ Williams” Award — First-quarter MVP
There has been no player as dominant at his position or as vital to his team’s success as New York Rangers’ goalie Henrik Lundqvist. His statistics speak for themselves: through 24 games he was first in wins (14), second in goals-against-average (1.83), third in save-percentage (.930), and third in shootout save-percentage (.889). But even more impressive has been the way he has carried the Rangers through an early-season offensive dry spell. Through 26 games, their 62 goals scored put them tied for third last in the league, which ranked them among the likes of the Phoenix Coyotes and Washington Capitals, both of whom are at or near the bottom of their respective divisions. Oppose that to their 51 goals allowed, which is tops in the entire league. Thus, there is little doubt the Rangers would not be leading the Atlantic division without Lundqvist’s stellar play. Now if he could just get into some “‘Smash’ Williams-esque” situations —taking steroids, stealing money from work, and leading a race-driven institutional revolt — we could have a hit reality TV show on our hands.
