The Conn Smythe goes to ....
I said at the beginning of the season that if the Detroit Red Wings didn’t win the Stanley Cup it would be a disappointment.
With a 3-1 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes, it looks like Wings fans will not be disappointed, as the Wings are one win away from their 10th Stanley Cup in franchise history and their first since the 1997-98 season.
When the Wings win the cup Thursday night who will the Conn Smythe Trophy go to?
Every season, there is usually one main story, a person on the winning team that everyone believes should win the Conn Smythe Trophy, the award given to the MVP of the NHL Playoffs.
This year the decision is harder than ever.
There is the captain Steve Yzerman, playing on a bad knee. A bad knee is an understatement from what the Detroit media is saying the bad knee may be a torn ACL. Yzerman will never admit that something major is wrong until after the season.
It’s not the points (21, six goals, 15 assists) that Yzerman has that puts him on top of my list, but the heart that he has shown night in and out, such as peeling himself off the ice with his stick, taking hit after hit but not missing a shift.
A point or anything key would wrap up the trophy for Yzerman.
Then there is Sergei Federov. Federov is the main reason the Wings are beating the Hurricanes trap. With his speed and stick handling, he is bringing the puck into the zone and then making the right pass. His 85 shots lead all players in the playoffs. His five goals and 13 assists (18 points) are good enough for a tie with Brett Hull for second on the Wings.
Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom hasn’t had a bad playoff season either. A couple of crucial goals and assists help his offensive numbers but his stellar defense has saved an easy 10 goals, at least.
Goalie Dominik Hasek has two more shutouts (6) in the playoffs than anybody ever has, and his goals against average keeps getting better as the playoffs keep going. But then again, Hasek receives a $1 million bonus if he gets his name on the Stanley Cup for the first time. So it’s no surprise that he keeps being the Dominator.
In all actuality, who cares who wins the MVP of the playoffs? After all, hockey is a team sport, and the best team hoists the cup to the fans at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday night.
LIFE Sports Editor Adam Trumble can be reached for comment at sports@cm-life.com.
