Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Annual HARTY Awards, where the NHL's finest are honored with prestigious accolades that every young child with a hockey stick in his hands has dreamed of winning since two years ago.
Now, this is the internet's premier red carpet awards event, and while there is no invitation necessary to attend, this is still a black tie event. The Hart of Hockey would appreciate it if you dressed appropriately for such an occasion, and show some respect to the players we all tore apart on Twitter the past season and look your finest. If you have to alter your attire for the event, now's your chance.
Good? Awesome.
Now we'll unlink the velvet rope and let you into the postseason event of the year: The Inimitable HARTYs.
Like the NHL Awards Show that takes place in Las Vegas, the HARTYs recognize individuals for their accomplishments over the course of the last season. We've brought back the 14 awards from year's past, and even added a new HARTY this season, which was met with waves of applause and praise in focus groups.
So let's get on with it then. The HARTY Awards will kick things off the way we have every year, honoring the best bench boss from the 2013-14 campaign.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Patrick Roy
Not just a rookie head coach, but a first-time coach at the professional level in any capacity, Patrick Roy took the Colorado Avalanche from picking first in the 2013 draft to first place in the Central Division. Not to overlook the accomplishments by many other well-qualified NHL head coaches, but the Avs turnaround under a coach with as short a resume as Roy is unprecedented. Knowing St. Patrick's competitive nature, a division title banner is far from satisfactory when paired with a first round playoff exit, so one should expect the Avs demeanor to continue to reflect their coach's blustering personality in year two of his tenure.
Runners-up:
Mike Babcock
Jon Cooper
BEST BLUE LINER
Duncan Keith
Amidst tough competition, Duncan Keith is our pick for the best defenseman of the 2013-14 season. He was a rock in his own end, and his puck-moving abilities were unparalleled over course of 82 games. He started the season hot, and cooled off a bit in the second half of the season while his colleagues continued to build their case for Best Blue Liner, but the total body of work is what counts, which is why Keith's name belongs on this HARTY.
Runners-up:
Shea Weber
Mark Giordano
BEST DEFENSIVE FORWARD (a.k.a. THE FANS-DON'T-APPRECIATE-EVERYTHING-I-DO-NO-MATTER-HOW-MUCH-THEY-SAY-THEY-DO AWARD)
Patrice Bergeron
This particular award might have been the toughest race in the HARTYs' long, illustrious history. That being said, Bergeron's work put him above his competition just enough to emerge on top. As usual, Bergeron was one of the league's best on draws (especially in his own end,) faced every opponents' elite on a nightly basis, and consistently frustrated those opponents with his exceptional two-way game.
The fancy stats agree, as well. The percentage of time he spent on the ice against other teams' best forwards narrowly edges out Anze Kopitar. Bergeron also barely beat out Kopitar for the best CorsiFor% during the past season (61.2%,) and he also ranked as league's highest forward CorsiFor% relative to his team's performance while he wasn't on the ice (+9.7%.)
Though Kopitar came very close to dethroning him, this marks Bergeron's third consecutive Best Defensive Forward HARTY.
Runners-up:
Anze Kopitar
Jonathan Toews
MANLY BYNG (HIGH LEVEL OF PLAY AND GENTLEMANLY CONDUCT)
Ryan O'Reilly
He may have finished the season with four penalty minutes, but it took him 72 games for him to sit in the sin bin. That's unheard of for a guy who ate 31.1% of the Avalanche's total time on ice this season (trailing Gabriel Landeskog by only a tenth of a percent for the highest number among forwards in the burgundy and blue.) O'Reilly is often relied on to be Colorado's Patrice Bergeron, if you will, and while he isn't quite on Bergeron's level, to play in his role and make it to the penalty box as little as he does is not only imperative, but wholly impressive.
Runners-up:
Tyler Seguin
Patrick Marleau
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Nate MacKinnon
The biggest no-brainer of this awards class, including MVP. MacKinnon walked away with the rookie scoring title, posting 24 goals and 29 assists for 63 points. He was a big part of Colorado's resurgence, and the versatile forward looks to be an even bigger part of its future.
His Corsi and Fenwick numbers were among the best for rookie forwards, though not tops in any category, but his standard stats contributions cannot be ignored. He electrified arenas on a nightly basis with his incredible speed, lethal shot, and top-notch playmaking vision. As the season trudged on and on, it became more and more apparent no other rookie could compete with what MacKinnon was accomplishing.
The Colorado Avalanche's domination of this year's HARTYs doesn't end here, either.
Runners-up:
Ondrej Palat
Olli Maatta
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Gustav Nyquist
Goose Nyquist, congratulations. You are the first-ever recipient of the Breakout Player of the Year HARTY Award! I'm certain you will be telling your grandchildren stories of this day as your proudest moment as an NHL player. Never mind the way you single-handedly carried the Detroit Red Wings offense in the absence of franchise forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, I'm sure you're much more proud of receiving this award.
Nyquist was a big part of Detroit's playoff run in 2013, but was still unestablished enough for the Wings to demote him to the AHL to start the season while the big club struggled with cap issues. As the season went on and injuries began to mount, Nyquist stormed onto the scene, using his laser-like speed to rack up 28 goals and 20 assists in 57 games. Among those 28 tallies, were goals like this and this.
Now feels like a good time to point out that Breakout Player of the Year HARTY will not be available to players who still have rookie status at the NHL level. So MacKinnon could not contend with Nyquist for the breakout crown.
Runners-up:
Victor Hedman
Ben Bishop
BEST GOALIE
Tuukka Rask
This was another very tightly contested HARTY, as this was one of the best seasons for goalies in recent memory. Every minor detail had to be examined just to determine the runners-up
Think about it, Jonathan Quick was a brick wall, but had an uncharacteristic slow start to the year, and injury cut down on his games played.
Ben Bishop stormed onto the scene with an incendiary start to the season, but trailed off a bit in the final months. Moreover, you saw what happened to the Bolts without him in the playoffs. They were swept.
Marc-Andre Fleury had another one of his great regular seasons. The Flower among the league leaders in wins, had the highest short-handed save percentage in the league to lead his club to the fifth-best penalty kill. He also made a stupid crazy unforgettable save for the ages.
Everyone remembers Ryan Miller's lackluster performance in the playoffs for St. Louis, but his regular season was a sight to behold, as he routinely turned away a barrage of shots playing for Buffalo before being traded.
Heck, all of the great goalie activity had Henrik Lundqvist considered an afterthought due to his sluggish start to the season. If The King can't even get a real look, you know the competition was stiff.
With all of that in mind, the HARTY goes to the tendy who consistently wows with his athleticism, positioning, technique, and, above anything else, stopping the puck. He doesn't have many highlight reel saves (mostly due to the aforementioned great positioning and technique,) but he did post a league-best seven shutouts, a 2.03 GAA, and an incredible .930 save%, second only to Josh Harding who played in under 30 games.
Rask is a special goalie, and he reminds you of it every night he steps between the pipes. Just don't beat him a shootout. Please, don't. For the children's safety.
Runners-up:
Carey Price
Semyon Varlamov
RAGU™ SAUCE AWARD
Nicklas Backstrom
Long-time runner-up Backstrom finally gets his Ragu HARTY, and it feels long overdue. Despite a disappointing season from the Capitals, Backstrom often left mouths agape with his sauce skills. Always on target and rarely fluttering, he's earned a reputation as one of game's top playmakers as a result. This season, though, something saucy in everyone's favorite Geico spokesperson just turned it up ever so slightly to earn him this award. Forehand, backhand, it doesn't matter to him, he's gonna sauce it, and it's going to be beautiful.
Runners-up:
Sidney Crosby
Matt Duchene
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Sidney Crosby
It was almost too easy this year. Crosby finished a whole 17 points ahead of the pack for the NHL's scoring title. His playmaking sense: otherworldly. His work along the boards: stellar as usual. And with ex-head coach Dan Bylsma often intentionally putting him in a defensive role against an opponent's best, his offensive numbers this season become even more eye-opening.
His lack of production in the playoffs and then the way it seemed to spiral out of control into other facets of his game was certainly troubling, but there isn't an argument on God's green Earth that could deny Crosby a regular season MVP. Now, if you did want arguments that didn't come from Earth, we'd recommend asking Ilya Bryzgalov, but don't look for those here.
This is Crosby's second Most Valuable Player HARTY Award, and the third year in a row the MVP was awarded to a Pittsburgh Penguin.
Runners-up:
Ryan Getzlaf
Anze Kopitar
THE "GREAT SEASON FOR NOTHING" AWARD
Mark Giordano
Giordano may have embodied the very spirit of this award this season. He had an immaculate year on a brutal team, so he had nothing to show for it. Until now.
Gio was tops in Corsi not just for defensemen, but the entire league. He had seven power play goals, 20 power play points, and still rocked a +12 rating. Some will tell you +/- is a very deceptive stat, but when you consider how god awful his team was (-34 even strength goal differential,) and he had 20 power play points, and STILL was +12 by the end of the season, it doesn't take a statistician to tell you he was doing something right. Who knows how bad the Flames would have really been without their first-year captain?
If not for injury, he could have even had a real shot at winning Best Blue Liner. Instead, he'll have to settle for a runners-up position there, but console his empty soul with this HARTY.
Runners-up:
Jaromir Jagr
Kyle Turris
SICKEST FLOW
Ryan O'Reilly
Every year, this is Erik Karlsson's award to lose, and he insists on making a massive overhaul on his mane multiple times over the course of a season. For that, he is deducted points. At The Hart of Hockey, we appreciate consistency, which is why O'Reilly will be have a second HARTY on his mantle from this year. O'Reilly's hair doesn't grow in straight lines, but rather feathered waves that cry out for an endorsement deal with Head & Shoulders. Well done, Ryan. If pro contracts were based on flow and flow alone, I would have given you that $6.5 million qualifying offer a long time ago and considered it a bargain, at that.
Runners-up:
Erik Karlsson
Patrick Eaves
MATTHEW WITTMAN MEMORIAL AWARD
Joe Thornton
The Wittman Award is given annually to the "class clown" of the NHL. San Jose's Thornton has long been one of the most colorful personalities in the league. He jokes with fans. He's good for colorful quotes for the media, a rare quality for an NHL captain. He's even a ventriloquist and babysitter for hire, hobbies he may or may not excel at. This year continued fans getting to know Joe Thornton the person instead of Joe Thornton the hockey player, but for whole new reasons.
After rookie teammate Tomas Hertl scored four goals in a game, the fourth coming in spectacular fashion, Hertl was the subject of ridiculous criticism. When one scribe was asking one of Hertl and Thornton's teammates about the vitriol directed at the 19-year-old, Jumbo Joe couldn't help but chime in. The result was, well, sort of NSFW.
Though Thornton made the comments tongue-in-cheek when the question wasn't even directed his way, the writer published to comments anyway, sparking ethical debate among hockey media. He then even joked about the whole incident in a statement that came later in the week, when another writer asked him if it was okay to publish what he said, Thornton wryly responded, "Yes, but thanks for asking."
However, since the incident, one can't help but feel like Jumbo held back some of his usual temperament in front of cameras and recorders. We're not asking for more raw details of what will happen if he scores a quartet of goals, or when what he'll do when he follows rogue links tweeted by his teammate, we just asking him remember who he is and continue to be that person. Joe Thornton, you are one funny dude. Whatever twists and turns your career hold for you next, please, continue to make us laugh.
Runners-up:
Paul Bissonnette
Roberto Luongo
BEST CELLY
Matt Stajan, 3/22/14
At first glance, it's underwhelming. Cool, he scored, but the celly is sort of ho-hum, isn't it? Couldn't we have used Max Pacioretty's cool and super original sword holster celebration instead? Well, with a little more context, this simple celly inherits new value.
Stajan and his wife, Katie, had just lost their son shortly after birth in early March.
There were several NHL goals this season that had the storyline of the loss of a loved one running simultaneously, like Tomas Tatar's goal after his father passed, or Marty St. Louis' playoff goal(s) after losing his mother, but there's just something about Stajan being all alone on the penalty shot, the simple point to the sky and the look on his face that sets his moment apart from the rest.
SAVE OF THE YEAR
Jonas Gustavsson, 12/21/13
The save is pretty spectacular, yes, but the reaction from the Maple Leafs' bench puts it over the top. Watch how some of the players are completely and utterly flabbergasted, while Randy Carlyle just has that look that screams, "You have got to be F#&%ING KIDDING ME!" It's a work of art. A work of extremely athletic, acrobatic, awe-inspiring art.
PLAY OF THE YEAR
Mike Smith, 10/19/2013
The "Play of the Year" is a moment usually reserved for dirty dangles, sickening snipes, puzzling pinpoint passing, or all of the above. This season had all of those, for sure, but so has every other season before. I may be taking the easy way out here, but a rare occurrence like a goalie goal takes the cake for play of the year honors. Even if you don't consider in the infrequency factor, admire the way Smith traps the puck so that it settles flat, then quickly repositions himself and flings the puck in the straight line down the ice right into the yawning cage. He does it all in a matter of a second. Credit where credit is due, this was amazing.
Now, this is the internet's premier red carpet awards event, and while there is no invitation necessary to attend, this is still a black tie event. The Hart of Hockey would appreciate it if you dressed appropriately for such an occasion, and show some respect to the players we all tore apart on Twitter the past season and look your finest. If you have to alter your attire for the event, now's your chance.
Good? Awesome.
Now we'll unlink the velvet rope and let you into the postseason event of the year: The Inimitable HARTYs.
Like the NHL Awards Show that takes place in Las Vegas, the HARTYs recognize individuals for their accomplishments over the course of the last season. We've brought back the 14 awards from year's past, and even added a new HARTY this season, which was met with waves of applause and praise in focus groups.
So let's get on with it then. The HARTY Awards will kick things off the way we have every year, honoring the best bench boss from the 2013-14 campaign.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Patrick RoyNot just a rookie head coach, but a first-time coach at the professional level in any capacity, Patrick Roy took the Colorado Avalanche from picking first in the 2013 draft to first place in the Central Division. Not to overlook the accomplishments by many other well-qualified NHL head coaches, but the Avs turnaround under a coach with as short a resume as Roy is unprecedented. Knowing St. Patrick's competitive nature, a division title banner is far from satisfactory when paired with a first round playoff exit, so one should expect the Avs demeanor to continue to reflect their coach's blustering personality in year two of his tenure.
Runners-up:
Mike Babcock
Jon Cooper
BEST BLUE LINER
Amidst tough competition, Duncan Keith is our pick for the best defenseman of the 2013-14 season. He was a rock in his own end, and his puck-moving abilities were unparalleled over course of 82 games. He started the season hot, and cooled off a bit in the second half of the season while his colleagues continued to build their case for Best Blue Liner, but the total body of work is what counts, which is why Keith's name belongs on this HARTY.
Runners-up:
Shea Weber
Mark Giordano
BEST DEFENSIVE FORWARD (a.k.a. THE FANS-DON'T-APPRECIATE-EVERYTHING-I-DO-NO-MATTER-HOW-MUCH-THEY-SAY-THEY-DO AWARD)
Patrice BergeronThis particular award might have been the toughest race in the HARTYs' long, illustrious history. That being said, Bergeron's work put him above his competition just enough to emerge on top. As usual, Bergeron was one of the league's best on draws (especially in his own end,) faced every opponents' elite on a nightly basis, and consistently frustrated those opponents with his exceptional two-way game.
The fancy stats agree, as well. The percentage of time he spent on the ice against other teams' best forwards narrowly edges out Anze Kopitar. Bergeron also barely beat out Kopitar for the best CorsiFor% during the past season (61.2%,) and he also ranked as league's highest forward CorsiFor% relative to his team's performance while he wasn't on the ice (+9.7%.)
Though Kopitar came very close to dethroning him, this marks Bergeron's third consecutive Best Defensive Forward HARTY.
Runners-up:
Anze Kopitar
Jonathan Toews
MANLY BYNG (HIGH LEVEL OF PLAY AND GENTLEMANLY CONDUCT)
He may have finished the season with four penalty minutes, but it took him 72 games for him to sit in the sin bin. That's unheard of for a guy who ate 31.1% of the Avalanche's total time on ice this season (trailing Gabriel Landeskog by only a tenth of a percent for the highest number among forwards in the burgundy and blue.) O'Reilly is often relied on to be Colorado's Patrice Bergeron, if you will, and while he isn't quite on Bergeron's level, to play in his role and make it to the penalty box as little as he does is not only imperative, but wholly impressive.
Runners-up:
Tyler Seguin
Patrick Marleau
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
The biggest no-brainer of this awards class, including MVP. MacKinnon walked away with the rookie scoring title, posting 24 goals and 29 assists for 63 points. He was a big part of Colorado's resurgence, and the versatile forward looks to be an even bigger part of its future.
His Corsi and Fenwick numbers were among the best for rookie forwards, though not tops in any category, but his standard stats contributions cannot be ignored. He electrified arenas on a nightly basis with his incredible speed, lethal shot, and top-notch playmaking vision. As the season trudged on and on, it became more and more apparent no other rookie could compete with what MacKinnon was accomplishing.
The Colorado Avalanche's domination of this year's HARTYs doesn't end here, either.
Runners-up:
Ondrej Palat
Olli Maatta
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Goose Nyquist, congratulations. You are the first-ever recipient of the Breakout Player of the Year HARTY Award! I'm certain you will be telling your grandchildren stories of this day as your proudest moment as an NHL player. Never mind the way you single-handedly carried the Detroit Red Wings offense in the absence of franchise forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, I'm sure you're much more proud of receiving this award.
Nyquist was a big part of Detroit's playoff run in 2013, but was still unestablished enough for the Wings to demote him to the AHL to start the season while the big club struggled with cap issues. As the season went on and injuries began to mount, Nyquist stormed onto the scene, using his laser-like speed to rack up 28 goals and 20 assists in 57 games. Among those 28 tallies, were goals like this and this.
Now feels like a good time to point out that Breakout Player of the Year HARTY will not be available to players who still have rookie status at the NHL level. So MacKinnon could not contend with Nyquist for the breakout crown.
Runners-up:
Victor Hedman
Ben Bishop
BEST GOALIE
This was another very tightly contested HARTY, as this was one of the best seasons for goalies in recent memory. Every minor detail had to be examined just to determine the runners-up
Think about it, Jonathan Quick was a brick wall, but had an uncharacteristic slow start to the year, and injury cut down on his games played.
Ben Bishop stormed onto the scene with an incendiary start to the season, but trailed off a bit in the final months. Moreover, you saw what happened to the Bolts without him in the playoffs. They were swept.
Marc-Andre Fleury had another one of his great regular seasons. The Flower among the league leaders in wins, had the highest short-handed save percentage in the league to lead his club to the fifth-best penalty kill. He also made a stupid crazy unforgettable save for the ages.
Everyone remembers Ryan Miller's lackluster performance in the playoffs for St. Louis, but his regular season was a sight to behold, as he routinely turned away a barrage of shots playing for Buffalo before being traded.
Heck, all of the great goalie activity had Henrik Lundqvist considered an afterthought due to his sluggish start to the season. If The King can't even get a real look, you know the competition was stiff.
With all of that in mind, the HARTY goes to the tendy who consistently wows with his athleticism, positioning, technique, and, above anything else, stopping the puck. He doesn't have many highlight reel saves (mostly due to the aforementioned great positioning and technique,) but he did post a league-best seven shutouts, a 2.03 GAA, and an incredible .930 save%, second only to Josh Harding who played in under 30 games.
Rask is a special goalie, and he reminds you of it every night he steps between the pipes. Just don't beat him a shootout. Please, don't. For the children's safety.
Runners-up:
Carey Price
Semyon Varlamov
RAGU™ SAUCE AWARD
Long-time runner-up Backstrom finally gets his Ragu HARTY, and it feels long overdue. Despite a disappointing season from the Capitals, Backstrom often left mouths agape with his sauce skills. Always on target and rarely fluttering, he's earned a reputation as one of game's top playmakers as a result. This season, though, something saucy in everyone's favorite Geico spokesperson just turned it up ever so slightly to earn him this award. Forehand, backhand, it doesn't matter to him, he's gonna sauce it, and it's going to be beautiful.
Runners-up:
Sidney Crosby
Matt Duchene
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
It was almost too easy this year. Crosby finished a whole 17 points ahead of the pack for the NHL's scoring title. His playmaking sense: otherworldly. His work along the boards: stellar as usual. And with ex-head coach Dan Bylsma often intentionally putting him in a defensive role against an opponent's best, his offensive numbers this season become even more eye-opening.
His lack of production in the playoffs and then the way it seemed to spiral out of control into other facets of his game was certainly troubling, but there isn't an argument on God's green Earth that could deny Crosby a regular season MVP. Now, if you did want arguments that didn't come from Earth, we'd recommend asking Ilya Bryzgalov, but don't look for those here.
This is Crosby's second Most Valuable Player HARTY Award, and the third year in a row the MVP was awarded to a Pittsburgh Penguin.
Runners-up:
Ryan Getzlaf
Anze Kopitar
THE "GREAT SEASON FOR NOTHING" AWARD
Giordano may have embodied the very spirit of this award this season. He had an immaculate year on a brutal team, so he had nothing to show for it. Until now.
Gio was tops in Corsi not just for defensemen, but the entire league. He had seven power play goals, 20 power play points, and still rocked a +12 rating. Some will tell you +/- is a very deceptive stat, but when you consider how god awful his team was (-34 even strength goal differential,) and he had 20 power play points, and STILL was +12 by the end of the season, it doesn't take a statistician to tell you he was doing something right. Who knows how bad the Flames would have really been without their first-year captain?
If not for injury, he could have even had a real shot at winning Best Blue Liner. Instead, he'll have to settle for a runners-up position there, but console his empty soul with this HARTY.
Runners-up:
Jaromir Jagr
Kyle Turris
SICKEST FLOW
Every year, this is Erik Karlsson's award to lose, and he insists on making a massive overhaul on his mane multiple times over the course of a season. For that, he is deducted points. At The Hart of Hockey, we appreciate consistency, which is why O'Reilly will be have a second HARTY on his mantle from this year. O'Reilly's hair doesn't grow in straight lines, but rather feathered waves that cry out for an endorsement deal with Head & Shoulders. Well done, Ryan. If pro contracts were based on flow and flow alone, I would have given you that $6.5 million qualifying offer a long time ago and considered it a bargain, at that.
Runners-up:
Erik Karlsson
Patrick Eaves
MATTHEW WITTMAN MEMORIAL AWARD
 |
| Thanks, @BonksMullet |
The Wittman Award is given annually to the "class clown" of the NHL. San Jose's Thornton has long been one of the most colorful personalities in the league. He jokes with fans. He's good for colorful quotes for the media, a rare quality for an NHL captain. He's even a ventriloquist and babysitter for hire, hobbies he may or may not excel at. This year continued fans getting to know Joe Thornton the person instead of Joe Thornton the hockey player, but for whole new reasons.
After rookie teammate Tomas Hertl scored four goals in a game, the fourth coming in spectacular fashion, Hertl was the subject of ridiculous criticism. When one scribe was asking one of Hertl and Thornton's teammates about the vitriol directed at the 19-year-old, Jumbo Joe couldn't help but chime in. The result was, well, sort of NSFW.
Though Thornton made the comments tongue-in-cheek when the question wasn't even directed his way, the writer published to comments anyway, sparking ethical debate among hockey media. He then even joked about the whole incident in a statement that came later in the week, when another writer asked him if it was okay to publish what he said, Thornton wryly responded, "Yes, but thanks for asking."
However, since the incident, one can't help but feel like Jumbo held back some of his usual temperament in front of cameras and recorders. We're not asking for more raw details of what will happen if he scores a quartet of goals, or when what he'll do when he follows rogue links tweeted by his teammate, we just asking him remember who he is and continue to be that person. Joe Thornton, you are one funny dude. Whatever twists and turns your career hold for you next, please, continue to make us laugh.
Runners-up:
Paul Bissonnette
Roberto Luongo
BEST CELLY
Matt Stajan, 3/22/14
At first glance, it's underwhelming. Cool, he scored, but the celly is sort of ho-hum, isn't it? Couldn't we have used Max Pacioretty's cool and super original sword holster celebration instead? Well, with a little more context, this simple celly inherits new value.
Stajan and his wife, Katie, had just lost their son shortly after birth in early March.
There were several NHL goals this season that had the storyline of the loss of a loved one running simultaneously, like Tomas Tatar's goal after his father passed, or Marty St. Louis' playoff goal(s) after losing his mother, but there's just something about Stajan being all alone on the penalty shot, the simple point to the sky and the look on his face that sets his moment apart from the rest.
SAVE OF THE YEAR
Jonas Gustavsson, 12/21/13
The save is pretty spectacular, yes, but the reaction from the Maple Leafs' bench puts it over the top. Watch how some of the players are completely and utterly flabbergasted, while Randy Carlyle just has that look that screams, "You have got to be F#&%ING KIDDING ME!" It's a work of art. A work of extremely athletic, acrobatic, awe-inspiring art.
PLAY OF THE YEAR
Mike Smith, 10/19/2013
The "Play of the Year" is a moment usually reserved for dirty dangles, sickening snipes, puzzling pinpoint passing, or all of the above. This season had all of those, for sure, but so has every other season before. I may be taking the easy way out here, but a rare occurrence like a goalie goal takes the cake for play of the year honors. Even if you don't consider in the infrequency factor, admire the way Smith traps the puck so that it settles flat, then quickly repositions himself and flings the puck in the straight line down the ice right into the yawning cage. He does it all in a matter of a second. Credit where credit is due, this was amazing.
