I’ve been holding my tongue for four months trying to figure out what exactly to say about what happened with Patrick Kane this summer.

He’s a huge talent on the ice, and by all accounts, he’s a wonderful guy off the ice as well – Denis Savard has said that he’ll try his best to do something if you ask it of him. But he’s also human and 23 to boot. You also have to account for the fact that while most kids/teens are spending time with friends and doing normal school and social things, he was off playing hockey…or practicing…or in playoff games…or at hockey camp. So in some respects, he’s still a kid who’s catching up on what he’s missed.

That being said, what he did back in May was bad. If you don’t already know, over Cinco de Mayo weekend he went to the Mifflin Street Block Party, which just happens to be close to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He hung out at a few frat houses and got more than a bit drunk. Oh, and of course there were pictures and secondhand accounts of how drunk he was.

Right away, people screamed that he should be traded or sent to rehab. These two suggestions are completely laughable for the following reasons:

• Patrick is an essential part of the Blackhawks’ core. Yes, he had a bad season (if you can call 66 points bad), but that and a drunken weekend are no reason to trade him. Besides, here’s the most important point: he has a no-trade clause in his contract. Oops, the haters forgot about that.
• Let’s see, he was drunk that weekend, and he was drunk two years ago at the Cup rally. Yep, he’s an alcoholic! Of course I’m being sarcastic about that, but you see my argument? Those two incidents don’t warrant rehab. He does need to curb the drinking so that he doesn’t turn into a doucherocket, but from what I’ve been told by people whose loved ones suffer from alcoholism, Patrick’s not even close to being that bad.

I’m going to guess that Stan Bowman and Coach Q sat Patrick down and gave him hell for his magical trip to Madison, and maybe they threatened to cut his ice time or even bench him if it happened again. It seemed to, for lack of a better word, sober him up by the time Convention rolled around (must remember to do a Convention recap in the near future). He apologized and said it was embarrassing for him because he wants to be a role model to everyone, not just kids. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt on this.

I love him to death, but he’s got to be more aware of himself. This means, if he has to, ditching friends who enable that stupid behavior. And like I said, curb the drinking. I wouldn’t restrict it altogether, just don’t drink as much, and do it with people you trust won’t get your ass in trouble. Above all, he needs to remember that his actions affect other people. Trust me, a lot of people in this world don’t think about that.

(By the way, you know those secondhand accounts of his drunken behavior? Well, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune did what all good journalists do – he followed up on them and found that none of them were actually true.)

His summer’s been kinda quiet since Convention – laying low in Buffalo at his house on the lake and driving up to St. Catharines, Ontario twice a week for skill development. He even played in a local hockey league and was on their winning team. I’m waiting for the season to start so I can see if that quiet summer will explode on the ice, and if he’s taken his own words to heart. He’s a hockey player, but he’s a man first and foremost.

And I believe in him.

Emma and I began to call Jonathan Toews “Toewsbot” during last season because he basically shows no emotions like a robot. But based on the story I wrote this weekend, there might be more to that. Here is our story of how Toewsbot came to being. Enjoy. – K

Deep in the recesses of the Hockey Hall of Fame, below the exhibits and plaques, there lies a laboratory so secretive in nature that only a select few know of its existence. It was here in early 1987 that a group of computer scientists and robotics experts collaborated to make a Canadian version of the “perfect hockey player.” They wanted their own cybernetic unit similar to the Lidstrom Unit that Sweden had created with great success. The Canadians, wanting not to upstage the Lidstrom model but to copy it, began building their own with one exception: they decided to age the unit the way a human ages.

The unit was unique in that its status as an android was beyond society’s definitions: it would have human functioning in every way, even eating, experiencing “injury” and sexual relations. As the unit would be used within the sport of ice hockey, it would be given certain programs to learn the sport as human children would. The aging process would give the scientists the chance to upgrade and update the unit’s hard drive to reflect its length of activation.

As they planned an elaborate upgrading schedule that would allow for “puberty” and other growth changes, they began an intensive search for a couple who would be willing to “raise” the unit as they would raise their own child. They soon found one in the form of Bryan Toews and his wife Andrée, who lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The couple presented the cybernetic team with a unique setting for the “upbringing” of the unit because the “maternal unit” was Quebecois and wanted their children to speak fluent French. A program was added to the unit to accommodate this.

After almost a year of work, the unit designated “Jonathan Bryan Toews” was formally activated on April 29, 1988. The “baby” was immediately loved by the Toews family, who expanded to include a human child two years after the Toews Unit’s activation. The group of scientists kept in close contact with the family, upgrading and updating the unit as it “grew”. When the unit was sent to Shattuck-St. Mary’s for education and hockey training, the upgrades and updates became more long-term, as they did when the unit was later accepted into the University of North Dakota. As the unit’s hockey knowledge grew, the program “Critical Thinking: Ice Hockey” was executed with great success, and the unit was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006. Training staff was told of the nature of the unit, now dubbed Toews Unit 19 for his assigned number on the Blackhawks, and they agreed to work closely with the cybernetic team in Toronto for necessary upgrades and adjustments. Even though he is technically not a robot but a fully functioning cybernetic unit, the training staff has nicknamed it Toewsbot or Toewsbot Unit 19.

In 2008 Toewsbot Unit 19 was given a C designation after being named captain of the Blackhawks, much like the Lidstrom Unit (or Lidstrom Unit 5) was given a C designation in 2006. As with human hockey players, Toewsbot Unit has experienced “injury” including two “concussions”, which is actually the result of a corruption of the hard drive. In such cases the unit will experience the symptoms of a concussion.

Toewsbot Unit 19-C has been given a program that makes it fully aware of its existence as a cybernetic unit, but it has not been executed, thus making the unit believe that it is human.

Did I cover the Rick Nash trade? Yes I did. Now here’s my opinion on it. – K

Oh, Scott Howson, you make me laugh.

You traded your “best player” to the New York Rangers for two guys who barely did anything in the playoffs let alone the regular season, a prospect and a first round draft pick. You really could’ve had that back in February, despite what many people say.

You really did make a fair trade – mediocrity for mediocrity.

Better line up a future job, you may need it.

I know that we haven’t posted in a few days. Part of that is due to both of us being busy–I had a friend visit from out of town for a week and spent time with her–and that’s OK. But something happened over the weekend that affected us deeply as well.

By now you probably already know the terrible details of the shooting at a midnight show of The Dark Knight Rises out in Aurora, Colorado–the number of the dead, the wounded, the rounds of ammunition that the suspect was able to purchase legally, etc.

The shooting also took the life of a young woman who isn’t so dissimilar to me, Jessica Ghawi (pen name Jessica Redfield). I’ve written more about her here, but how sad it is that the world has been robbed of ever seeing the fruition of what looked to be a bright future–not only from her, but from all the other victims, too.

I went to a movie recently after the shooting. It wasn’t The Dark Knight Rises (I’m not a huge Batman fan), but, in a hopeful sign, two consecutive showings of that movie were sold out and the theater was packed. There were even some kids having a birthday party. Aside from one county police officer who walked out of the lobby as we walked in, I didn’t notice any heightened security. But people were still enjoying movies. We have to keep doing that. If we don’t, the shooter wins. Fear wins. Terror wins.

Simply put, that can’t happen.

I recently became a writer for Rant Sports’ Columbus Blue Jackets blog (“But you’re a Blackhawks fan!” And I always will be, but the Jackets are familiar to me because they’re division rivals). We’ve already poked fun of the Rick Nash trade story, but here’s my actual take on it, even though I won’t ever publish this on Rant unless I’m asked. And yes, I have two articles already written – one if he goes, one if he stays. – K

Let’s go back to midseason, when the rumors began. Who would’ve thought that Rick Nash, the face of the franchise, would want to leave the only team he’s ever known? Yet two weeks before the trade deadline, a month after Todd Richards was made interim head coach (he’s since been promoted to permanent status), that Scott Howson would announce that “all options are open”. BOOM, Nash is on the market. Here’s the thing, though: Rick has a no-movement clause in his juicy 8-year contract, so he gets to pick where he’d like to go. He gave a list of teams (Rangers, Sharks, Flyers, Red Wings, Bruins and allegedly the Penguins) and passed that on.

We’ve documented the fact that Howson is asking for the impossible, like first-born children or someone’s mortal soul or things to that effect (I think our version is hilarious, by the way). BUT if you ask me, it’s more complicated than that. In fact, it reads like a soap opera.

Yes, Howson has done some good for the Blue Jackets, like build up the blue line (currently sporting James Wisniewski and Jack Johnson). But that alone will not bring wins and/or playoff potential – you must have a solid goalie unit (which they do not) and good forwards, ideally with puck skills and moves like Patrick Kane. Nash sees what’s been happening since Howson came on board in 2007, and he’s not thrilled. So when he went to management and requested a trade, it wasn’t out of a desire for the team to rebuild, as he publicly said, it was a vote of no confidence in Howson.

And how did Howson take this? Well, let me play devil’s advocate for a moment. Howson sees Nash as the cornerstone of the franchise, the alpha and omega of the team, the one guy the entire franchise has been built around (it was only two years old when they drafted him). For Nash to want to leave probably felt like a slap in the face, like he was ungrateful for everything the organization has done for him in ten years. How do you punish ungrateful behavior such as this?

Welp, Howson decided that if Rick Nash wants to go, it will cost whoever wants him the most. This is the crux of the situation – Howson wants not just one but several players, as well as prospects and draft picks. What he wants is players of Nash’s caliber to fill what he most likely thinks will be an enormous hole.

• Howson wants Logan Couture, and the Sharks aren’t willing to part with him or anyone else.
• I’ve heard that he wants the Rangers to give up the likes of Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan McDonagh or Derek Stepan.
• The Red Wings just lost Niklas Lidstrom and Jiri Hudler, so they’re not willing to lose any more key guys.
• Are the Flyers really going to give up anyone for just one guy?
• According to Emma, the Bruins that are wanted are in some combo of Dougie Hamilton, David Krejci, Tyler Seguin, Milan Lucic, other prospects and draft picks. Yeah, right.
• The Pens just signed Sidney Crosby and traded Jordan Staal to Carolina. I can’t think of anyone who’s expendable.

But it’s not like Howson’s peddling top-shelf merchandise. In the past three seasons, Nash has barely hit the 30-goal mark and wound up with a -19 (for the record, his 2011-12 record was 30 goals, 29 asissts for 59 points and that -19). His points are good, but if a 40+ goal scorer hasn’t done that since the 2008-09 season, you can’t trade him on the promise that he’s as good as he was, say, seven years ago. In essence, Howson wants the moon and several far-flung galaxies for an inferior product.

So, what will happen in this offseason? Howson could lower his price if he sees interest waning and finally lure someone into a trade, or he could dig in his heels and watch those teams back away from what they think is an outrageous price. If Nash is traded, the Blue Jackets will be able to move past this moment in time and push forward in the season. But if there’s no trade, Nash will be trapped on a team for whom he doesn’t want to play, answering to a man he will probably grow to despise with every passing day. He could sit out training camp and maybe the season, but that will cost him in terms of a daily fine, and the team will have to take the $7 million cap hit (like the Boston Bruins will do with Tim Thomas). He’ll more than likely play under duress, sitting in that locker room awkwardly trying to lead a team that knows he doesn’t want to be there.

In the end, there’s no win-win scenario for this drama. But I can tell you that Scott Howson’s job should be on the line because of how badly he’s handled this, if not given to someone else. Blue Jackets fans deserve something good this season, and I don’t think he can deliver that.

- Krista

The continued saga of “Where Will Roberto Luongo Go?” has been an interesting one to watch. There have been some serious considerations, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers, and then ones that just seem so totally farfetched that you wonder if someone originally planted the idea for the lulz because it just can’t be serious–you know, like the Chicago Blackhawks.

It seems more and more each day like Luongo might go back to Florida, where he played for a time, met his wife, I believe they still keep a house there, etc. While south Florida is certainly quite a jump, climate-wise, from Vancouver, here’s the thing–would that put Jose Theodore in jeopardy? Or Scott Clemmensen? What’s the plan here? Is there one?

When Alain Vigneault told reporters that he would have Luongo drive the Zamboni if he couldn’t find any suitors, that gave me an idea.

I’ve been a Simpsons fan pretty much all my life. The show is, in age, roughly my age peer (it premiered as its own show, not part of Tracy Ullman, in December 1989; I premiered in December 1988), and I was recently thinking about some of my favorite episodes anyway. You know, gems like Marge vs. the Monorail. But there’s another episode from around that time that could be an inspiration for what to do with Luongo.

It’s called Dancin’ Homer.

The plot, if any recall is necessary, is that Homer becomes the mascot of Springfield’s baseball team by doing silly dances to the tune of Baby Elephant Walk. He tries to take his talent to Capital City, but it doesn’t work out well. Still, for a time in Springfield, the Dancin’ Homer thing totally works.

Maybe Luongo could do that, pump up the crowd at Rogers Arena with a little bit of dancing. It seems he already has the moves down, anyway:

Just put that to Baby Elephant Walk and we’re so there.

C’mon, Vigneault. You know this is a good idea in the making here. Get with it.

Well, that certainly was a fun draft weekend to watch! There were some predictable picks–like Edmonton taking Nail Yakupov first, although I personally think they should’ve taken a young defenseman–and some sleepers (Hampus Lindholm, anyone?), but it wasn’t until later in the first round that I think the biggest surprise happened.

No, I don’t mean the Jordan Staal trade that will send him to be captained by his brother Eric. I kind of sensed something coming when he refused to sign that big 10-year deal with Pittsburgh. He’s a talented centerman, but his problem is that he was on a stacked team. When you have teammates like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, you’re going to be on the third line whereas on other teams, there’s a potential to be on top.

I was already waiting for the Bruins to make their choice just because they’re the Bruins. They had to wait a while to announce their selection because, for once, Toronto decided to actually use its high-up pick. By that time, the draft coverage had already changed dance partners from NBCSN to NHL Network (big mistake on NBCSN’s part), and the mayhem from the Staal trade died down. But then Peter Chiarelli took the podium and…drafted PK Subban‘s little brother.

I couldn’t hear the chatter from the talking heads at first–sounds like Pierre McGuire is really, really amused–because I was laughing so hard. The Boston Bruins drafting the brother of a Montreal Canadien?! But, as usual, Chiarelli is clever and made a good selection. Subban is a pretty darn good goalie, considering he’s only been playing that position for six years (he played defense just like PK until he was 12 at the behest of his father, who coached him). He won Goaltender of the Week for two weeks in November, then took honors for the whole month, and had a great season for the OHL Belleville Bulls.

Better yet, he has heart. I can tell by the way he’s talked about himself, his work ethic, being drafted, etc. It’s been made clear by Chiarelli and company lately that the Bruins draft guys based on character. They like hardworking, ego-less, dedicated young men who want to continue working hard and doing well. Take Matthew Grzelcyk, drafted in the third round by the Bruins. His dad has been part of the TD Garden ice crew for years and years, he’s from Charlestown and he’s a very dedicated hard worker. Plus, he just got into BU’s business school.

Already Subban, though, is making a good first impression at Bruins development camp. One of six goalies there, he got a lot of cheers when he first took the ice and continued his charm initiative by jokingly telling Boston sports radio chat show hosts that he was not a big fan of Montreal–or his brother.

I don’t think it’s likely at all that Subban will make the team next season. (This is the dawning of the age of Tuukkaquarius!) He may spend another year in Belleville honing his skills. But still, somewhere down the line, it would be a lot of fun to see the Subbans face each other on an NHL rink.

-Emma

I call the guys who play for the Rockford IceHogs “the babies” because quite a few of them were prospects not so long ago (I know some are older than 21, but they’re babies to me). I was happy to hear that three of the “babies” had been resigned to two-year deals recently:

Brandon Bollig made a big splash when he joined the Blackhawks roster after John Scott was traded. He didn’t score his first Blackhawks goal till the playoffs, but he filled Scotty’s shoes quite nicely with his 58 PIM. And we get two more years of his sparkling wit on Twitter!

Maybe this season he’ll grow out of that “I like ‘Call Me Maybe’” phase.

Ben Smith was the guy who sent the Blackhawks to a Game 7 in the 2011 playoffs, and even though he wasn’t used that much this season in Chicago, he still had a good year in Rockford. Unfortunately, he had to have hip surgery in March, but word is that he’s recovering nicely and should be ready for training camp.

He can’t wait for September, and neither can Blackhawks fans.

Carter Hutton stepped up as goaltender for the Hogs when Alexander Salak was sidelined with an injury during the season, and he did quite nicely for them: he was named team MVP for his 2.35 GAA and .917 save percentage. He even got to don the Indian Head jersey twice as backup to Corey Crawford when Ray Emery was out sick. Looks like we have some good depth in net with him.

You’re cute, we’ll keep you.

Unfortunately, a little rain must come with your sunny days, and in this case the resignings came after the team had released Salak on waivers. Word is that he’ll head to Sweden, so he’ll at least be playing and honing his skills more (which is what the Blackhawks wanted from him when they sent him to Rockford). Hopefully by this time next year, he’ll find a good home back in the NHL.

The Blackhawks now have their major players signed and newbies drafted, so now we wait for Free Agency Day. Methinks it’s gonna be good.

- Krista

Emma: Yay, that was a lot more fun than last year! There were still a few flubs–it seemed like no one knew how to say Evgeni, a lot of the “lol, thank you for laughing” awkwardness was probably staged, but how much, and why did they need to do that? It would’ve been funnier if Cheryl Burke and Steven Stamkos had bust out into this elaborately-choreographed routine, preferably to the tune of the little tango bit in Tango Maureen from Rent (“Where’d you learn to tango?” “With the coach’s daughter in the dressing room at Tampa Bay Times. And you?”), rather than the awkwardness that happened. Oh, and Matthew Perry?

Dude…are you okay?

But overall, it was great fun. I love, love, loved the skits of Will Arnett as Brendan Shanahan. It was perfect; Arnett is a huge hockey fan (as you can tell from watching any episode of Up All Night, basically) and a gifted comedian. Shanahan didn’t seem so amused by it, but we were. Check out all four of the skits below.

Another great skit was the one that featured Tracy Morgan as a member of the New York Rangers during 24/7. He especially enjoys hanging out with Ilya Bryzgalov.

Ditching the host was a good idea. Jay Mohr was atrocious last year.

Official count of predictions I got right: eight, including the Selke Trophy.

Reasons why Patrice Bergeron‘s Selke win was great:

• Well-deserved
• He was lovely and humble, thanking his teammates, family, hometown homies and speaking a little French
• It came right after Kevin Smith did one of those “Know why I love the NHL?” things and it was about Winnipeg and it was displeasing to me personally so I needed some happy
• Chara said he almost screamed for joy when it happened

Congratulations, Patrice. Triple Gold, Selke, who knows what’s next?

Overall, that was great fun!

And hey, props to Dustin Penner for winning the inaugural Stay Pressed Award for his take on the Masterton Trophy:

Nah, bro, just the guy who was injured so badly that I remember people wondering if he would ever walk again! But really, the Masterton is the kind of award where any of them could win because they’ve all been through so much. Trying to say “oh well, he suffered more, he should’ve won” seems a bit twisted.

Krista: First off, I got five picks right. Meh.

I was thrilled that Patrice won the Selke. To say he deserved it is a gross understatement – I’ve seen how hard he worked, and the award was well-earned. Congrats!

Like Emma, I was not happy about Kevin Smith’s little pat on the back to Winnipeg. Dude, there are people who are still bitter about the relocation (including us here at AiP). His lovefest kinda canceled out the awesome skit he did about Patrick Kane‘s Superman routine at the All-Star Weekend, and that’s a shame.

How precious was Evgeni Malkin? Our friend Bethany speculated that his little speech for the Ted Lindsay Award was probably written by Sidney Crosby. Doesn’t matter, he was still a sweetie.

Kudos to Patrick Sharp for tweeting his congrats to Hitchcock on winning the Adams. And they read it on the air too! I’ll bet he was both happy and embarrassed.

Did I squeal when Max Pacioretty won? Yes. Was Dustin Penner a jerk for saying he didn’t deserve it? You bet. Was his later excuse of “It’s my opinion” just a weak attempt to cover his butt? Absolutely. That Stanley Cup doesn’t give you the right to be obnoxious.

There was only one downside to the whole show: the absence of Ryan vs. Ryan III. They need to bring it back next year!

Overall, we both loved watching everything (except Nickelback, of course). I hope next year’s show is just as good!

So, the NHL Awards are upon us once more. Things have changed a little since last year–the channel it’s on has changed names and the “whoops, time to go to the bathroom/get snacks/otherwise be out of the room” musical guest is different (I mean, really, Nickelback?!)–but some things remain the same. Things such as PREDICTIONS!

Adams Award (best coach)

Nominees: Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis), Paul MacLean (Ottawa), John Tortorella (Rangers)

Emma: All three of these coaches executed some big turnarounds for their teams. Ottawa thundered up and often challenged Boston for the top spot in the Northeast, even briefly overtaking the Bruins for that distinction. The Rangers went from barely making the playoffs last year to the first seed after a season spent perched calmly atop the East. But to me it’s the Blues that had the biggest extreme makeover. When Hitchcock arrived, the team was 14th in the West and had a 6-7-0 record. Under his tenure, the Blues put together a 43-15-11 season, a Central Division title for the first time since the 2000 election was the big election du jour, 109 points and a trip to the postseason that did end rather ignominiously, but still! So I have to give it to Hitchcock.

Krista: I’m going to agree with Emma, Hitch did a lot for the Blues in a short amount of time. Yes, Tortorella took the Rangers to the conference finals, and McLean revived the Sens, but Hitchcock did what other coaches in his position this season – and there were quite a few – couldn’t do, and that was overhaul the team. I’m taking Hitchcock for this one.

Calder Trophy (best rookie)

Nominees: Adam Henrique (New Jersey), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton)

Emma: Nugent-Hopkins had tons of potential and would probably be the sure thing if he hadn’t been injured, but Landeskog jumped right in on the Avs and made a difference right away. He led the team with a +20 rating, was often used on man up and man down situations, played about 19 minutes a game and tied for the lead among all rookies with 52 points. Beast mode.

Krista: While Nuge was hot at the beginning of the season (we both witnessed his first hatty) and Gabe was a beast for the Avs, I’m picking Henrique. He filled in on the Devils’ top line for Travis Zajac, and he’s been a valuable asset to the team ever since. If the regular season didn’t prove it, then look at his playoff stats: five goals including three game winners, a playoff-leading +12, and that’s on top of his 51 regular-season points (16 goals, 35 assists). I’d be surprised if he didn’t win this.

Foundation Award (charitable player)

Nominees: Mike Fisher (Nashville), John-Michael Liles (Toronto), Matt Moulson (Islanders)

Emma: This is one of those categories where I’m okay with any of the nominees winning, basically. All three of them have done great things in many different aspects for their communities. But to me, Moulson should take the win. Not only is he charitable in so many ways, including donating $500 for each goal to a joint foundation he has with his brother-in-law Jonathan Quick, but he was one of the first players in the NHL to show support for the You Can Play Project. Many other players have come on board with the project since, but Moulson was one of the trailblazers.

Krista: I agree with Emma, I’d love to see any of these guys win. But I love how Moulson teamed with Quick on their charity, and it’s wonderful that he came out in support of You Can Play in its beginnings. He’ll take this one.

GM of the Year Award

Nominees: Doug Armstrong (St. Louis), David Poile (Nashville), Dale Tallon (Florida)

Emma: Tallon took a huge risk when he decided to perform an extreme makeover on the Panthers. Bringing in 10 new guys could’ve backfired in so many ways, but then Florida surprised us all by having a banner year. First Southeast Division title, first trip to the playoffs since the Y2K bug was a thing–all in all, a pretty successful makeover.

Krista: Tallon brought his experience as a former assistant GM for the Blackhawks to Florida, and just as Hitchcock turned the Blues around, Dale did that for the Panthers. He made some shrewd moves in trading for Tomas Kopecky and Brian Campbell, and he put his faith in Jose Theodore. The huge gamble he took paid off thousandfold.

Hart Trophy (MVP, voted on by PHWA)

Nominees: Henrik Lundqvist, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos

Emma: Malkin should get this–if we’re just picking among these three nominees–because he got the Art Ross, helped fill in for leadership with Sidney Crosby injured, helped better his linemates and proved so necessary that the Penguins lost 9 of the 14 games where he had no points.

Krista: I actually don’t have a favorite here, because I’m a little miffed that Claude Giroux isn’t a finalist for this or the Ted Lindsay Award. But if I had to pick someone, given the situation with Crosby’s two comebacks, I’d have to go with Malkin.

Ted Lindsay Award (MVP, voted on by players)

Nominees: Henrik Lundqvist, Evgeni Malkin, Steven Stamkos

Emma: If this looks like deja vu, that’s because it is; these three players are also nominated for the Hart Trophy. See my pick up there.

Krista: See my pick for the Hart Trophy.

Lady Byng Trophy (good behavior)

Nominees: Brian Campbell (Florida), Jordan Eberle (Edmonton), Matt Moulson (New York Islanders)

Emma: I have literally spent a longer time waiting for a MARTA train than these three gentlemen spent in the sin bin this season. (They run about every 15-20 minutes if you’re lucky.) This is one of those categories where to me anyone could win and I’d be chuffed about it, but it would be cool to see a d-man win it for the first time since the year my dad was born.

Krista: I’d love to see Campbell win for sentimental reasons, but I honestly don’t have a real favorite here. They’re all upstanding guys who’ve worked hard and kept out of trouble, so I’d be happy if any one of those three won.

Masterton Trophy (perseverance)

Nominees: Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa), Joffrey Lupul (Toronto), Max Pacioretty (Montreal)

Emma: Here’s a curious little fact: this is the only category in which all three nominees play for Canadian teams. But while Alfredsson and Lupul have both overcome big things to keep doing what they love, Pacioretty needs to win this one. He rebounded from that fractured vertebrae to have a career-best season and be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dark Habs season.

Krista: Pacioretty should win this. Many guys struggle the first year after a devastating injury, but he shot forward and showed everyone that he overcame something that would keep us mere mortals down for a long time. Add in the fact that while Montreal fans called for the head of Zdeno Chara on a platter, Max decided to take Chara’s apology and not hold anything against him for the hit. That forgiveness and call to move on was, I think, a big part of the healing process.

Norris Trophy (best defenseman)

Nominees: Zdeno Chara (Boston), Erik Karlsson (Ottawa), Shea Weber (Nashville)

Emma: Karlsson had a huge season, there’s really no other way to say it–led all defensemen in goals, assists and points; 10th in the entire league for points; made a bunch of new team records and tied some others; team-leading time on ice; +16 ranking that looks a lot better than his -30 last year.

Krista: Karlsson will be the favorite going in, but I really want Chara to take this. With a +33, an average 25 minutes of ice time, 12 goals (8 of which were on the PP) and 40 assists under his belt (not to mention the hardest shot in the league), he rallied his team through a lot of  ups and downs. I think he really deserves it.

Selke Trophy (best defensive forward)

Nominees: David Backes (St. Louis), Patrice Bergeron (Boston), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit)

Emma: With all due respect to Backes and Datsyuk, here’s how the chips fall for me: if Bergeron doesn’t win this one, I’m going to ask my Habs fan friends how to riot and then do it. (Note: I will not actually do it.) He deserves this award for so many reasons: his league-leading plus-minus, his almost team leading 64 points (Tyler Seguin got just ahead of him), his skill in the faceoff circle, his penalty kill proficiency (he’s usually not why there’s a penalty to kill, either), his team-leading blocked shots and takeaways…c’mon, PHWA. Don’t muck this up.

Krista: I’m sorry, Detroit fans, but Datsyuk can’t win it every year. It’s Bergeron or a swarm of very angry hornets get stuffed into someone’s bags for the trip from Vegas.

Vezina Trophy (best goalie)

Nominees: Henrik Lundqvist (Rangers), Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles), Pekka Rinne (Nashville)

Emma: It looks like we might go two years in a row with big-name American goalies who win the Cup, the Conn Smythe and the Vezina. Quick is a huge part of why the Kings were able to make the playoffs at all; back in the regular season, when they could barely even score one goal sometimes, he kept them in the game. Now let’s just hope that he doesn’t start going on about his Right as an Individual next season…

Krista: I’ve witnessed Quick‘s prowess when my boys have played the Kings, and I’ve come away every time lamenting that he was a brick wall. When the rest of the team was struggling, he was the constant, and he stayed that way even in the playoffs. I can’t think of a more deserving guy for this one.