Apr 05 Don’t Lose Sleep

The playoffs are upon us, and that can only mean one thing.

No, not burning police cars or other forms of mass hysteria.

Ok, those things, too. But what I’m referring to is the infernal NHL awards and the infinitely tiresome debates that come with that territory.

In the NHL, there’s only one award that really matters, and that’s the one that gets hoisted a couple weeks prior to the perennially cheesy awards ceremony – the Stanley Cup.

While the Art Ross, Maurice Richard, and Jennings trophies are decided by stats alone, the rest are subjective in nature, voted on by media, players and NHL General Managers.

Potential candidates for awards have been bounced around for weeks now, and those with the privilege to vote have to have their submissions completed by the time the sun sets on the regular season.

Here in Montreal, and even in some places outside of Montreal, the virtues of Canadiens Molson Cup winner Carey Price are being extolled, and for very good reason. He’s an MVP in every sense of the word, and a fitting candidate for both the Vezina and Hart trophies. But whether or not he wins them is not so much of a question as whether or not he’s even nominated. While it’s unthinkable to us Habs fans that Price won’t even be nominated for either award, we should at least get used to the idea of the possibility. The same goes for PK Subban and the Calder trophy. The fact is that there are many amazing candidates who have been just as stellar as Price and Subban have been this season. Without getting in to a debate about who’s better and who’s numbers are more noteworthy, who worked under more pressure and more difficult circumstances, the real issue at hand is who gives a shit about these awards?

No doubt there will be many, many Habs fans who cry foul or pop off about some anti-Habs conspiracy at the league level if Price or Subban don’t get nominated or win outright, and I can only pray for the health and well being of those people. The candidates aren’t even announced yet, and both Habs players very well may get a nod and may also win some hardware for their showcase. Time will tell. But if they aren’t, and if they don’t, I won’t miss a moment’s sleep except for the prayers I’ll say for those going grey and hoarse over it.

In the end, why should we care? I suppose it’s great to say that “our guy” got the recognition and the love from those with power, and we can wield that like a royal sceptre but would not winning change what they’ve meant to the Habs this year, and what they mean to the long-term future of the team?

Good lord, no.

In fact, in a city where players need to be paid a premium just to come and play (damn taxes!), an MVP, or any other award would perhaps only tack on another million or two to retain the services of that player. After all, when you accomplish something significant in your career, you’d add it to your c.v., would you not? And you’d expect to get recognition in the form of monetary compensation, either from your current employer, or another one, correct?

For what it’s worth, I’ll take the guy that plays like an MVP, but doesn’t necessarily get paid as one. Besides, José Theodore parlayed an MVP award in to a long, rich contract that turned out to be toxic. It’s still a miracle that Gainey was able to wash his hands of that mistake. Not to compare Price and Theo, because they are totally different in every respect except for the fact that they both have a ton of hair, but my point is that I don’t need a hockey card with Price holding a trophy in his hand to know his value to the Habs.

There’s little point in getting angry over what the media, players and General Managers decide with their votes…after all, these are the same people who (media notwithstanding) can’t get player safety right, oppose common sense when it comes to protecting brains, don’t respect each other on the ice, foolishly overspend, and generally bumble their way from one CBA to another. Why should something relatively meaningless like award ceremonies get fans in a lather?

In short: don’t get your knickers in a twist if your ego isn’t sufficiently stroked with Habs in the mix for hardware…whether it’s a snub altogether, or merely as a runner up, not being recognized for an award is not a big deal, and may even save the Habs a few bucks on the salary cap.

Photo Source: AFP

Tags: Montreal Canadiens \ trophies