2015 NHL Awards Show – Winners, Finalists, and Thoughts
By Tyler Dunton
The always fun NHL Awards took place last night in Las Vegas, wrapping up the 2014-2015 season.
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The big winner of the night was Carey Price who is going home with four awards including the Hart Trophy and Vezina. Price is only the second Canadian player to earn four awards in one season, with Guy Lafleur accomplishing the same feat in 1977.
Below is a list of all winners and some thoughts on the proceedings. While it was no surprise that Carey Price was the man of the hour, there were multiple other awards in which the voting shocked many hockey fans.
General Manager of the Year
Winner: Steve Yzerman (Tampa Bay)
Second: Glen Sather (New York Rangers)
Third: Bob Murray (Anaheim)
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award
Winner: Jonathan Toews (Chicago)
Finalists: Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim) & Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg)
Foundation Player Award
Winner: Brent Burns (San Jose)
Finalists: Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) & Mark Giordano (Calgary)
King Clancy Trophy
Winner: Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit)
William M. Jennings Trophy
Winners: Corey Crawford (Chicago) and Carey Price (Montreal)
Jack Adams Award
Winner: Bob Hartley (Calgary)
Second: Alain Vigneault (New York Rangers)
Third: Peter Laviolette (Nashville)
Bill Masterton Trophy
Winner: Devan Dubnyk
Finalists: Kris Letang (Pittsburgh) Andrew Hammond (Ottawa)
Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy
Winner: Alex Ovechkin (Washington)
Frank J. Selke Trophy
Winner: Patrice Bergeron (Boston)
Second: Jonathan Toews (Chicago)
Third: Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles)
Ted Lindsay Award
Winner: Carey Price (Montreal)
Art Ross Trophy
Winner: Jamie Benn (Dallas)
Second: John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
Winner: Jiri Hudler (Calgary)
Second: Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit)
Third: Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles)
Vezina Trophy
Winner: Carey Price (Montreal)
Second: Pekka Rinne (Nashville)
Third: Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota)
Calder Memorial Trophy
Winner: Aaron Ekblad (Florida)
Second: Mark Stone (Ottawa)
Third: Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Winner: Erik Karlsson (Ottawa)
Second: Drew Doughty (Los Angeles)
Third: P.K. Subban (Montreal)
Hart Memorial Trophy
Winner: Carey Price (Montreal)
Second: Alex Ovechkin (Washington)
Third: John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Thoughts on NHL Awards Outcome
You’ll notice that no Pittsburgh Penguins appear in the winner’s column. Now, with an off year statistically speaking, I didn’t imagine we’d see many Pens accepting awards, but one specific trophy stands out.
Kris Letang was nominated for the Bill Masterton trophy, which represents perseverance. Letang was able to return from a stroke and put together an outstanding season that should have seen him nominated for a Norris trophy as well. Yet, he somehow accomplished neither feat, as Devan Dubnyk walked away with the Masterton.
I won’t take anything away from what Dubnyk accomplished this season. But, he didn’t return from a stroke, he simply got traded and played better. While he was a big reason for Minnesota’s success down the stretch, it’s tough to top what Letang overcame.
Why does it seem that Marian Hossa is overlooked so often in Selke voting? Hossa has long-been one of the top defensive forwards in the league. Even now, at his age, he continues to play outstanding two-way hockey. I’m not saying that Bergeron isn’t deserving, nor am I saying Jonathan Teows and Anze Kopitar don’t deserve the attention. But, for my money, Hossa deserves some recognition in this category.
Cam Talbot received a vote for the Vezina Trophy, but Marc-Andre Fleury did not.
There really isn’t much more to say about that.
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