So the second period of tonight's Game 7 between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens just started.
The first period saw more of the Habs' goalie Jaroslav Halak destroying the Caps moral. Alexander Ovechkin and company look tight. The highlight of this tightness was postseason star Alexander Semin hitting the post on a wide open net. Wow. Tightness, Semin and wide open all in the same paragraph. I feel dirty.
End of the period saw the Habs get a powerplay goal after Mike Green made a wonderful play where he whiffed on the puck and took a stupid penalty. Ladies and gentleman, one of your Norris trophy candidates.
Second period recap coming soon.
The Skids - The Saints are Coming
Mike Green is not really a defenseman, he is a glorified winger who moonlights periodically, like the rest of the Caps on defense.
ReplyDeleteSince when did the Norris Trophy come to mean the defenseman who should have been a winger? I thought it was supposed to go to the best "all-around" defenseman. Last I checked, defense was part of the all-around. Not saying any Penguin deserves the award or to be a finalist, it's a complete joke that Green is a finalist for the second year in a row.
ReplyDeleteStatistically Green did have a good year. Having 19 goals, 57 assists, and a plus 39 are all Norris Trophy candidate worthy stats.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, for those who have actually watched Mike Green attempt to play defense...well, like The Boss said he thinks he's a winger. I would have nominated Pronger. He had almost twice as many blocked shots as Green and an insane amount of ice time (almost 26 minutes per game), and was a consistent defenseman throughout the year.
Over the last few years I have lost all respect for the NHL's individual trophies. Am I the only one that thinks Ryan Miller was a little more important to his team than AO this year? Without Ovechkin, that team is still a lock for the playoffs. No doubt about it. With an average goalie in net for the Sabres, they would go from division winner to one of the worst teams in the conference.
There is more than points to defense.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Hart Trophy, how does Bryzgalov not considered for it?
I know, but that's what voters look at. It's really difficult to quantify defense. Sometimes a play like clearing the puck out of the crease can turn a game around, but doesn't show up on the score sheet.
ReplyDeleteBryzgalov is another name I heard tossed around for the Hart. His team probably had less fire power than the Sabres, so you could definitely make a case for him. It's just interesting that the Vezina trophy makes it impossible for a goalie to be an MVP when most people would say its the most important aspect of a team.