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Midseason NHL awards Jaromir Jagr is toying with the NHL
Posted: Tuesday February 08, 2000 04:59 PM
Though the NHL season is mathematically more than half over, we still observe its midpoint at the All-Star break. With that in mind, Sports Illustrated's Michael Farber selected his "midseason" award winners. To see a CNNSI.com essay of images devoted to these players in action, click here.
Calder Trophy (league's best rookie)Scott Gomez, Devils: Gomez is not as spectacular as Maxim Afinogenov in Buffalo, but, playing out of his natural center position most of the season, he makes smart passes and scores opportunistic goals on a team in need of a game-breaker.
Jack Adams Award (league's best coach)Joel Quenneville, Blues: The scary thing is no coach is better liked by his players than Quenneville. If you wanted one coach to win one playoff series, the nod would go to Detroit's Scotty Bowman, but Quenneville has squeezed elite performances from a Blues team with less depth than Detroit.Selke Trophy (league's best defensive forward)Curtis Brown, Sabres: As teammate Michael Peca tilts his game toward offense, Brown has done an increasing amount of dirty work for the Sabres. With perennial candidate Jere Lehtinen of Dallas injured most of the first half, Brown has eased ahead of a diffused field that includes Ottawa's now-injured Magnus Arvedson.
Lady Byng Trophy (league's most gentlemanly player)Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings: Lidstrom was hosed last season when Gretzky was given one more going away present by the NHL. Lidstrom deserved it then and does again: He plays hard, smart and cleanly against the NHL's top lines.
Norris Trophy (league's best 'all-round' defenseman)Chris Pronger, Blues: Pronger will win his first Norris, a tribute to his size, skills and a determination that he didn't show early in his career. Eventually he will be joined by Ottawa's Wade Redden as the best of their generation, but so far 1999-00 has been a season for veteran defensemen such as Rob Blake in Los Angeles, Eric Desjardins in Philadelphia and Chris Chelios in Detroit.Vezina Trophy (league's best goaltender)Curtis Joseph, Maple Leafs: Joseph is the second-most-valuable player in the league, allowing Toronto to play a wide-open game knowing he is backstopping them with big saves.
Hart Trophy (league's most valuable player)Jaromir Jagr, Penguins: In an era when the rest of the NHL is playing pong, Pittsburgh's Jagr is flipping the controls on PlayStation. While his recent rib injury kills his chances for 150 points, he could be the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1987 to lead the NHL outright in goals and assists.
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