Ah the Lady Byng. Every NHLer’s least favorite award. The official description reads as such: “Outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” In general, this award tends to go to the good player with the least number of penalty minutes. Or, as many think of it, the good player who is also the biggest pansy. I object to that description, as there are a number of Jacket players who fit the bill this year, while also playing very hard shift in, and shift out, taking abuse, going to the corners, and playing a tough game in general. However, what sets those players apart from the Matt Calverts and Brandon Dubinskys is their ability to do so without putting the Jackets shorthanded very often, constantly being good sports, and playing like gentlemen. And the award goes to……
WINNER: Cam Atkinson
AlisonL (3): “The man demonstrates a level of play that far exceeds his much talked about height. Playing on an ankle that hurt for the entirety of a season, he produced by scoring, bringing energy to the game, and single handedly creating opportunities (see the first goal versus Nashville in our final game). Cam also represents the organization off ice – he’s always willing to engage with fans and even started his own autograph sessions mid-season.”
Canadan (1): “For such a small frame, you have to give credit to Cam for being so effective with the puck. His speed and tenacity outweigh his limited physicality, and he continues to be a great story in the NHL as a smaller player.”
CBJProspects (2): “Atkinson was one of the Jackets leading scorers and set up autograph sessions on his own for fans after a few games.”
The Coach (1): “When a player is constantly going hard, mucking it up in the corners, and crashing the net, they usually rack up penalties. Coaches don’t mind, they just chalk it up to the one downside of having a guy who leaves everything he has out on the ice. Cam is one of those types of players, but he somehow manages to barely every take penalties. And when I say barely, I mean the guy had four penalty minutes this season. Not four penalties, four minutes of penalties. I honestly don’t know how you can play as hard as Cam and only get called twice in 35 games.”
Runner Up: Mark Letestu
AlisonL (1): “Letestu went from sitting his first few games to being an integral part of the offense. Not only did his play inspire teammates but he was second on the roster in overall points and powered this team to victory twice with two GWG. He signed a highly appropriate extension this year and demonstrated his character not only off ice at fan events – even thanking the buyer of his St. Patty’s jersey for buying it – but also “on” – appropriately relinquishing his assigned number for the second time in as many seasons when he gave Gaby the right to continue wearing #10.”
Canadan (2): “Hard work without the prototypical third line’ish grit, I think Letestu is a prime candidate for this award. He simply goes about his business and fights for every inch with a clean edge.”
The Coach (2): “Letestu piled up six more minutes in penalties than Cam, but he also played eleven more games. Letestu is a consummate pro, who always seems cool and calm on and off the ice. It is pretty fantastic to have a guy like that around, as a young team like the Jackets could easily get too amped up over things that happen on the ice. Letestu is a nice calming presence.”
Honorable Mention: Sergei Bobrovsky
AlisonL (2): “Play speaks for itself and, even without words, how can you not positively judge the character of a guy who works his ass off, applauds the fans and smiles like 99.9% of his day. I’d bet $20 he smiles in his sleep.”
CBJProspects (1): “High standard of playing ability: check. Gentlemanly conduct: well, he’s the only player we’ve had (that I can think of) that applauded the crowd when being named a star.”
Honorable Mention: Marian Gaborik
CBJProspects (3): “Brought much needed skill to the lineup and was gentlemanly enough to waive his no trade to come here.”
Derdrache (1): “The guy waived his NTC to come to the Columbus Blue Jackets. That’s a courageous move and is something that is bigger than simply bringing him on board. It’s the first step in many of changing the perception of Columbus to being a destination where players want to play. This will be important in future trades where a NTC is involved or attracting free agent talent.”
Also Receiving a Vote: Nikita Nikitin
Derdrache (2): ” This one may come as a surprise and comes solely from my interactions with him at a season ticket holders’ event. In events past, Nikitin was always paired with a fellow Russian to assist in breaking down language barriers and you could tell he wasn’t very comfortable around fans. This year, he was the lone player sitting at a blackjack table. Not only did this represent a large step, but any time a new player/fan would come to the table he’d immediately extend his hand to shake hands and introduce himself and start engaging with the fans. This struck me as impressive.”
Also Receiving a Vote: Artem Anisimov
Canadan (3): “Fantastic skills both on and off the puck, Artem seems to make things happen again without taking any liberties with his opposition. Add in his injury resilience, and I think he’s a great option.”
Also Receiving a Vote: Fedor Tyutin
The Coach (3): “Tyutin took a few more penalties than your stand Byng candidate, but he plays so many minutes and never seems to really lose his cool. Like Letestu, I think he helps to provide a calming influence over the team.”
Finally, the REAL Lady Byng
Derdrache (3): “Because she’s Lady Byng.”
Stay tuned, as next week we hand out the Jackets’ Norris, Vezina (drama!), and Masterton trophies!
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