NHL Awards: Predicting The 2014-2015 Winners

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL Awards Ceremony will be held on Wednesday. During the ceremony, the finalists for each of the awards will be honored and the winner for each award will be announced. The finalists for each of the NHL awards have already been announced, so let’s take a look at each award and who the finalists are.

More from Editorials

• Alex Ovechkin will score 50 goals in 2023-24
• It’s time for Capitals fans to chill out with the Anthony Mantha hate
• The Capitals Have Several Potentially Bad Contracts
• Nic Dowd looks to show reliability
• Dylan Strome’s Contract Could Be A Steal For The Capitals

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy goes to the NHL player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” This year’s finalists are Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings, Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings and Jiri Hudler of the Calgary Flames.

The Frank J. Selke Trophy goes to the best defensive forward in the NHL. This year’s finalists are Patrice Bergeron (2012 and 2014 Selke Trophy winner) of the Boston Bruins, Jonathan Toews (2013 Selke Trophy winner) of the Chicago Blackhawks and Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings. 

The Jack Adams Award goes to the NHL coach who is deemed to have played the largest role in his team’s success. This year’s finalists are Bob Hartley of the Calgary Flames (a first time nominee), Peter Laviolette of the Nashville Predators (a two time nominee) and Alain Vigneault of the New York Rangers (a three time nominee and 2006-2007 winner).

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy goes to the NHL player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” Each team submits a nominee for the award. The three finalists this year are Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild, Andrew Hammond of the Ottawa Senators and Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award goes to the NHL player “who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.” The selection of the three finalists and the decision of who wins the award is decided by none other than Mark Messier. This year’s nominees are Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks, Andrew Ladd of the Winnipeg Jets and Toews.

The NHL Foundation Player Award goes to the player “who applies the core values of hockey — commitment, perseverance and teamwork — to enrich the lives of people in his community”. It’s basically an award that rewards those for charitable donations and community work. This year’s finalists are Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

The General Manager Of The Year Award goes to the best general manager in the NHL. This year, the three finalists are Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks, Glen Sather of the New York Rangers and Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Ted Lindsay Award goes to the “most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.” This year, the finalists are Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens and Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars.

The Calder Memorial Trophy goes to the rookie player “selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the NHL.” There was an insane group of rookies this season, so narrowing it down to three must have been extremely difficult. The three nominees are Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, John Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Mark Stone of the Ottawa Senators.

The James Norris Memorial Trophy goes to the best NHL defenseman. This year, the three finalists are P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens (2013 winner), Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators (the 2011-2012 winner) and Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings.

The Vezina Trophy goes to the best NHL goaltender. This year, the finalists are Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild, and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.

The Hart Memorial Trophy goes to the NHL player who is deemed to be most valuable to his team. This year, the three finalists are Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens and John Tavares of the New York Islanders.

We’ll go through each award and discuss our pick for each of the awards.

Next: The Lady Byng