Recap: The NHL Awards

The NHL awards are either a triumphant confirmation of expectations or a sequence of angry “he got robbed!” posts on social media. While the awards show is often its own brand of cringe, this evening’s proceedings offered the Winnipeg Jets a unique opportunity. Winnipeg had three finalists for some of the most hallowed awards up for voting the league has to offer. Did the Jets walk away even bigger winners than their season indicated, or did the taste of defeat further sully the mood?

The Winners

Below is the list of awards. Anything with a star is a trophy for which the Jets had a finalist in contention.

Ted Lindsay Award: Connor McDavid

James Norris Memorial Trophy: Victor Hedman

King Clancy Memorial Trophy: The Sedins

Calder Trophy: Mat Barzal

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: William Karlsson

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Brian Boyle

Frank Selke Trophy: Anzer Kopitar

NHL 19 Cover: P.K. Subban

Jack Adams Award: Gerard Gallant

Mark Messier Leadership Award*: Deryk Engelland

Vezina Trophy*: Pekka Rinne

GM of the Year*: George McPhee

Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award: Darcy Haugan

Hart Memorial Trophy: Taylor Hall

The Losers

Winnipeg walked away with exactly zero trophies tonight. That’s fine. Many of their star young talents and crafty veterans, including captain Blake Wheeler and franchise netminder Connor Hellebuyck, made some serious noise for consideration. Even GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Paul Maurice both ended up in the top-5 of voting for their respective trophy categories. Winnipeg didn’t win anything, but the voting gave clear recognition of their achievements. The Jets will be back next season, and they’re looking for the biggest trophy of them all.

James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports