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Handing out the hardware

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We've added some categories and we might have broken the mold on which the well-intentioned voters have lost their way on one or two categories. So without further ado ...

J A C K   A D A M S   A W A R D

Scotty Bowman, Red Wings The problem with the Jack Adams Award is that broadcasters have consistently voted for the coach whose team has played beyond expectations, in effect robbing coaches like Bowman of the honor. Bowman is the best coach in hockey history, runs a better bench than anyone ever has, and led Detroit to second in the Western Conference despite the early-season goaltending problems. Runners-up: Bill Barber, Flyers; Larry Robinson, Devils Barber has done a superb job in making sense in that erstwhile nuthouse of Philadelphia, overcoming several key injuries (most prominently to John LeClair, most recently Simon Gagne) and with a goalie who at the start of the year former coach Craig Ramsay wasn't even sold on even as a backup. We're being contrarian here, but the second runner-up is Larry Robinson. The Devils never suffered a Stanley Cup hangover, no modest feat. Robinson keeps them fresh and interested, and makes terrific use of the entire roster. Six weeks ago I might have argued on behalf of Marc Crawford and Joel Quenneville, but the kaleidoscope turned.

C A L D E R    T R O P H Y

Evgeni Nabokov, Sharks Despite his late slide, Nabokov proved he was a No. 1 NHL goalie. He understands positioning, he's patient and he controls his rebounds. Nabokov is so polished because the Sharks brought him along slowly. If he regains his touch, the Sharks, a sticky team to play against, could provide a first-round surprise. Runners-up: Martin Havlat, Senators; Colin White, Devils We're projecting a bit here, but Havlat is a Marion Hossa in the making in Ottawa. Second runner-up is Colin White, who was also a rookie last year but qualifies this year, too. He's a big, rugged customer and looks to have a future as one of the NHL's better stay-at-home defensemen. Brad Richards, who may win the award, had the best offensive year, but he was doing it in pressure-free Tampa Bay.

L A D Y   B Y  N G   T R O P H Y

Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings I have my theories here, too. This award has gone to the most polite forward for way too long. The winner should be Nicklas Lidstrom. Lidstrom plays nearly 30 minutes a game, against the top line, and almost never takes a penalty. He finished with 18 penalty minutes, a miniscule number for a man of his minutes, especially given who he plays against. Runner-up: John Madden, Devils He doesn't get the icetime Lidstrom gets, obviously, but he plays at Mach-1 speed and intensity. Madden hits with the best smaller players in the league and does it cleanly.

N O R R I S   T R O P H Y

Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings Lidstrom again. The eternal bridesmaid should become a bride this year. In fact, Lidstrom's overall play probably wasn't as good as it was last season, but he remains the best player on one of hockey's best teams. He defends one-on-one better than anybody, is a force on the power play, and can jump in as well five-on-five. Lidstrom is helped by the fact that the three other prime candidates -- Rob Blake, Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger -- missed significant time because of injuries. Runners-up: Chris Pronger, Blues; Al MacInnis, Blues When healthy, Pronger is the most dominating defenseman in the game; one of the rare defensemen able to control the game from the back. And he's impossible to get around because of his great reach. MacInnis was having an even better season than Pronger for the first four months of the season until his eye injury. Blake was having a good offensive year until he was hurt in Colorado. But in the playoffs, watch for Conn Smythe winner Scott Stevens.

V E Z I N A   T R O P H Y

Dominik Hasek, Sabres Hasek has been quietly brilliant after a relatively slow start, leading the league in shutouts and having the best save percentage of any goalie with at least 60 appearances. Hasek makes the Sabres, once again, a dangerous playoff team. He probably hasn't received as much credit as he deserves this year because he didn't threaten to retire, didn't physically confront a sportswriter and apparently knew all of his teammates' names. Runners-up: Patrick Roy, Avalanche; Martin Brodeur, Devils Roy is another goalie who is generally overlooked, even though his goals against average is a career best. His save percentage is slightly better than his career average. He lets in the occasional soft goal, but he handles the puck less -- and better -- than ever before and has been consistently solid. Third is Martin Brodeur. Brodeur has adjusted in the past few years as the Devils have gone from a defensive to an up-tempo team, which means Brodeur has less of the security net that marked his first years in the league. He's big, sturdy, solid, a brilliant stickhandler, and a man whose sunny disposition seems almost out of place on a goalie. We will also give a nod to Sean Burke -- who had a brilliant first four months on Phoenix Coyotes team that doesn't work hard enough in front of him defensively -- and Roman Cechmank, the 30-year-old rookie who was the surprise of the season.

S E L K E   T R O P H Y

Bobby Holik, Devils We will preface this by saying that the intent of the Selke has been compromised over the past several years by voters' desire to reward the best two-way forward, not the best defensive forward. We're going back to basics. Holik plays with a chip on his shoulder; there are no easy nights for pretty-boy centermen when they go up against someone willing to work as hard as Holik does. Holik rarely goes away and rarely takes a game off, although he does not contribute offensively as much as he should. Runners-up: Todd Marchant, Oilers; John Madden, Devils Marchant, who has great wheels, is the Ferrari of NHL checkers. He works extremely hard at his defensive responsibilities. Three would be Madden, an extraordinary penalty killer; dangerous with great instincts and great reads, and able to turn the puck over to create scoring chances. Sometimes he still cheats a little too much looking for a breakout. Mike Ricci of San Jose, despite having plow-horse speed, also deserves mention.

H A R T   T R O P H Y

Joe Sakic, Avalanche This one's pretty easy, he's had a dominant year on hockey's best team in the regular season, scoring goals, putting up ridiculous plus-minus numbers, winning faceoffs and being a responsible defensive player. He needed the big season for several reasons: He can be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, he was coming off an unproductive playoff season in 2001 and Peter Forsberg was injured early and didn't have as good a year as he normally might. The Avalanche were even more dependent on Sakic, who had more icetime than any forward in the Western Conference. Runners-up: Mario Lemieux, Penguins; Dominik Hasek, Sabres Mario did it with one hand tied behind his back, starting on Dec. 27 and putting up numbers that were unbelievable to anybody who doesn't know the competitive nature of the man. He started out playing with only his mind and hands, but added his legs, making him one of the most dangerous forwards in hockey. He also kick-started the occasionally sulking Jaromir Jagr to the Art Ross trophy. Hasek. Goaltending remains the cornerstone of the game and Hasek remains the cornerstone of the Sabres. The Oilers' Doug Weight, who rivals Adam Oates as the best passer in the NHL, is also worthy of a look, as Edmonton, despite trading Bill Guerin early in the year, had a breakthrough season.

Unsung Hero

Martin Straka, Penguins Straka had the quietest 95-point season in NHL history while buried behind Jagr, Lemieux and Alexei Kovalev's breakout year in Pittsburgh. He benefited from manning the point on Pittsburgh's power play, which often spent the entire two minutes on the ice. He can create on his own with speed and his moves and he has unflagging energy and often jump-started the Penguins on the nights when their big guns were stuck in neutral. For a guy who was once a fourth-liner in Florida, he does all right for himself.

Best Trade

Bill Guerin, to Boston I like Boston's trade for Bill Guerin. Bruins GM Mike O'Connell pulled off the best deal of the year in landing the Massachusetts native, who has developed into one of the best team leaders in hockey. While Edmonton got shorted because they had to move Guerin for contract reasons, Boston realized just how much of an impact Guerin could have on a team that still hadn't coalesced at that point around centers Jason Allison and Joe Thornton. Coach Mike Keenan grew to depend heavily on Guerin, who's not a classic power forward in the Cam Neely mode, but gets it done with a combination of speed, hands and size.

Breakout Player

Steve Sullivan, Blackhawks Sullivan proved there is a place in hockey for a little man, as long as he has speed and an overdose of feistiness. Sullivan, who was let go on waivers in Toronto, benefited from the chemistry with linemate Michael Nylander. If Canada is truly serious about going with a quick, offensive team in the 2002 Olympics, it shouldn't dismiss Sullivan out of hand.

Disappointing Player

Dainius Zubrus, Capitals When Zubrus came into the league as an 18-year-old with the Flyers, future Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey saw a little bit of Jaromir Jagr in him. There indeed might be some Jagr in Zubrus still, but it is buried so deep, you would need Jack Lemmon in the China Syndrome to find it. He has fabulous skills, as evidenced by a hat trick he scored with Montreal earlier this season, but he plays a soft game, sticking to the perimeter and hockey often seems like the furthest thing from his mind. The Capitals have always liked Zubrus. In fact, when they were considering a Peter Bondra deal with the Canadiens last summer, Zubrus was one name that came up. But last week in the Calgary press box, one of the Capitals' scouts asked me, "Hey, what's up with Zubrus?" And that's never a good sign. He hasn't adapted real quickly in Washington.

Photographs (top to bottom) by Robert Beck, David E. Klutho (3), Darren Carroll, David E. Klutho

 

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