Well here we are. The 2014 Stanley Cup is going to be awarded pretty darn soon – a former Jacket (or 2..or 3..or 4) will be raising it. Free agency talk is starting to buzz. Things are happening. But more important than all of that is the conclusion of The Union Blue Awards for 2014. We wrap everything up with the most important trophy of all, The Hart Memorial Trophy. It is given out to the player judged most valuable to his team. Last year’s winner was a clear cut decision for Sergei Bobrovsky, but with more and more success built on more and more guys stepping up – we have a wealth of votes to dole out. With that being said, the winner of the 2014 tUB Hart Memorial Trophy is….
Ryan Johansen
Gregin120 (1) Picking an MVP on this team is just as difficult as picking the greatest leader. It’s not that there wasn’t anyone who played like an MVP, but rather that this team as a unit was greater than the sum of its parts. That being said, I’m going with Joey. Without him, I think we’d have all started working on our golf games a lot earlier than we did this year.
CBJProspects (1) The team’s leading scorer and clutch goal scorer down the stretch. As the Johan went so went the CBJ.
TheCoachUB (2) He made a huge leap this year. He gave us a thiry-plus goal year, from a big center. He was good on faceoffs and good against tough competition. There isn’t a whole lot more you want from a young forward. And he’s young enough to continue getting better. A legit number one center is tough to find, a rare and valuable commodity.
AlisonL (2) When I talked about Bob I mention his consistency built team confidence, I think the other part of that confidence came from finally seeing the oft-anticipated arrival of a legit 1C. Leading scorer, and a young guy making a real bonafide NHL player of himself – exactly what other young players need and want to see. I look forward to seeing that big frame grow even more into itself season after season.
Sergei Bobrovsky
TheCoachUB (1) Goalies are the most important player on a hockey team. I thought Bob was the Jackets best player this past season (link Lindsay Award). Makes sense he’d also be my Hart pick. While not as dominant as last year, he’s still arguably an elite goalie in this league and the best Jackets player at his respective position league-wide. Bob is the best.
AlisonL (1) When I think back to when the turn really started for the CBJ, that change in confidence, the beginning of a swagger, it came when the team started to trust their netminder – mind you that’s because their netminder was playing pretty damn well. The saying is you build a champion from the net out – Bob is consistent, you never find yourself worrying about him and he owns his and the team’s identity. (Don’t forget that he took that Ranger’s visit just as personally as some other former Rangers). Bob’s the tent pole of confidence and consistency for the team.
CBJProspects (2) As I’ve said before, after dealing with an injury Bob was Bob and helped the team secure its second playoff berth.
James Wisniewski
CBJProspects (3) James led the jackets from the Blueline and set new a new Defenseman points record along with helping rookie Dman Ryan Murray learn the ropes (even if it was Murray that let Wiz let loose).
TheCoachUB (3) Wiz is awesome at the offense side of the game. He’s an elite offensive defenseman. The other half of the game can be a little rough sometimes, and he makes the occasional turnover (usually a glaring one), but his offense more than makes up for it. That kind of player provides a lot of value, from bringing up the powerplay numbers, to easing the offensive burden on the forwards.
Brandon Dubinsky
Gregin120 (2) He put up decent numbers, but Dubi brought much more than points to the club. His relentlessness and his edginess sparked the team and helped them form an identity as a team that wasn’t easy to play against. If this award was only about the intangibles, he’d get my top vote.
AlisonL (3) The guy who not only put up the numbers but also put the heart and intention of the team on full display. Valuable on the ice and off the ice.
Nick Foligno
Gregin120 (3) Like Dubinsky, his contributions can’t solely be measured by the stats. Arty (39), Cam (40) and Foligno (39) all ended up within a point of each other, but Foligno’s veteran leadership tips the scales in his favor in terms what he meant to the team big picture.
So there you have it CBJ fans. The 2014 tUB Awards have concluded. Some surprising wins, some surprising nominations because we just can’t help ourselves, but it’s great to see a team with a lot of “award winners” versus only a few standout performers. To recap, the winners were:
Calder (top rookie): Boone Jenner
Lady Byng (most gentlemanly): Ryan Murray
Norris (top defenseman): James Wisniewski
Vezina (top goaltender): Sergei Bobrovsky
Masterton (perseverance): Nick Foligno
Clancy (leadership on/off ice, humanitarian): Brandon Dubinsky
Executive of the Year: John Davidson
Lindsay (most outstanding player): Ryan Johansen
Jack Adams (coach): Todd Richards
Frank J Selke (defensive forward): Brandon Dubinsky
Messier (leadership): Brandon Dubinsky
Hart (most valuable): Ryan Johansen
A nice list of winners, and lucky for CBJ Land, they’re all returning to the organization for next year’s run. If our winners are deserving, it looks like bright times ahead! Speaking of which…the draft is just around the corner meaning CBJProspects is getting all geared up. Keep checking back for his coverage and mock drafts as well as some further analysis of the team from last season.
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