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.
