dat's sick

Okay, let's compare: Mason Shutouts: 10 GAA: 2.29 Sv%: .916 Wins: 33 Rinne Shutouts: 7 GAA: 2.38 Sv%: .917 Wins: 29 You're right, Rinne absolutely OWNED Mason. The only other guys than Lundqvist who could have gotten the Rangers into the playoffs are maybe Luongo and Kipprusoff. Don't tell me they could have traded WADE REDDEN for either of them. I do believe a guy like Khabibulin could have gotten the Jackets into the playoffs, something many goalies could have done. Like I said, they weren't really that close to missing the playoffs. They lost the last couple of games and still finished in 7th. Also, Leclaire was injured in the pre-season, played hurt for like 12 games (which is why he didn't do very well) and was then place on injured reserve. Leclaire was their no.1 last year and did a great job and they weren't too far off from making the playoffs (with a worse team overall). I don't know what stats you're looking at, but the Rangers had 7 forwards who scored 40+ points, and the Jackets had 5. It's a moot point anyway because the Rangers scored less goals. They're a worse team offensively. Their best goalscorer was Antropov with 28, who didn't even play most of the season with them. The Jackets had Nash with 40 goals. He's exactly the kind of player the Rangers need, a leader and a goalscorer. You say Mason winning the Calder and getting nominated for the Vezina was just because of hype, but at the same time you seem to be buying into the hype that he single-handedly carried a terrible team to the playoffs. He saved their asses in many games, but for the last couple of months he wasn't anything special and they still won game after game.

.

1. I sort of agree with you on your statement about the Hart. Lundqvist had a worse season than Mason statistically, but was more valuable imo. Of all teams that made the playoffs, the Rangers were without question the worst offensively. This season they basically couldn't win if they let in more than 2 goals. Lundy played 70 games with that kind of pressure on him and managed to get them into the playoffs and almost past the 1st round. The Blue Jackets weren't that much better offensively, but they have an underrated defense and a style of play that really helps the goalies. We saw it in all the games we played against them, they make it difficult to get good scoring chances and rebounds. Mason was rookie of the year, but nowhere near the top 5 when talking about MVP in my eyes. 2. If the Selke always went to simply the best Defensive forward, without taking into account offense, Sammy Pahlsson would have won it several times. But it's a simple truth that a forward's main job is to produce offense. Similar to how Mike Green shouldn't win the Norris just for scoring lots of goals, I don't think you should win the Selke just for playing good defense. It's a combination of playing good defense, while producing offensively. If Datsyuk is only slightly less dominant defensively, but more flashy with takeaways and with better +/-, while at the same time putting up much better numbers offensively, he's going to rightfully get more votes than Z. Z should have won it last year, when he had only a little less points while playing better defense against better players, but this year Datsyuk was 100% the right choice. And again, I don't really understand your choices. Mason is to you the 2nd most valuable player in the league, but doesn't qualify for the top 5 for the Vezina or is even the best rookie-goalie? One way or another that is just wrong.

You have Mason as the 2nd most valuable player in the league, but not in the top 5 for the Vezina? That makes sense. And Lundqvist, even when he has an off year, is more valuable to the Rangers than Mason is to the Blue Jackets. I think Parise was a bit overlooked this year, he deserves more credit, but Datsyuk should definitely be above him. I agree with your opinion that Z is better defensively than Pavel, but this year (in the regular season) he wasn't that much better defensively to make up for the fact that Pavel was a much bigger factor offensively.

Holland and Chelios.

Maybe the Lilja situation opens up for Cheli staying another year? But I really doubt he'll stay, they've been saying all year that this is his last season with the Wings.

There's also an interview with Chara on TSN.ca where he says how much he looks up to Nick and so on.

What's Jeremy Roenick's first language? No, I agree with you that's it about celebrating players and their achievements, but it's not like they can't do that as well as make the actual thing watchable. Like getting some presenters that know how to talk. And there's so much they could do to make the event more fun. They had some montages of goals and saves, but why not have some kind of voting for the top 10 goals/saves/hits leading up to the event and then reveal the results one by one throughout the night? It'd be sweet if they could get some comedy in there too. You know, someone that comes in and makes bad jokes about Sean Avery and Dion Phaneuf, just something to mix it up a bit. And of course I can't say it enough that the choice of music was beyond terrible. Seemed like an amateurish event to me. Not befitting a league that wants to be taken seriously and contend with the other major sports. There's an interview with Chara on TSN after he won the award, and he says some really nice thing about Lids. Like how he looks up to him and stuff. I haven't really liked him before but he seems like a really humble and nice guy.

I agree, it seemed thrown together in about 15 minutes without any rehearsals. It was still worth watching for the Datsyuk/Ovie humour, and Thomas had a good speech, but I had to turn off the sound at times because it was so awkward watching.

I don't know how Iginla made the first team over Datsyuk.

Same. Although I don't know if I really like the Stars all that much, I mostly enjoy beating them and seeing Pavel make Turco look like a fool. Modano is hard not to like though.

I don't like that the Hart and Pearson are attached by the hip. I feel like more often than not they should go to different players. Malkin or Datsyuk deserved the Pearson, Ovie the Hart.

Anytime I see Bettman I expect him to transform into a bat all of a sudden.

For realz!!11!!!!11 Btw, I haven't seen Crosby there? 1 game suspension to start next season for not showing up?

I don't remember everyone congratulating the Wings last year. Atleast Beliveu gave the Wings some cred too.

Haha omg Ovie with the BURRRRRN

Was this the best music they could find? I'm sure all the players are really enjoying this, I've heard Chaka Khan is a big favorite in most teams lockerrooms.

what the hell, what was that booing for Luongo? haha

I think Roenick is a little drunk.

I should have known. They'd never get one of their biggest stars' name wrong in such an important event. *cough*Lindstrom*cough*

Haha good for Pavel "getting more confident now" Would be sweet if he got the Hart, but let's be real, it's not happening. Ovie is a lock for that one. The Pearson is the one that Malkin or Pav could get. Also, did they spell his name "Datsuuk" in the nominee-highlight thingy or was that just me?

Yeah. I wish they would atleast get good public speakers to hand out the awards. Tim Thomas was probably the first one who actually looked somewhat comfortable up there.

He's definitely getting better. I think it helps that he seemed to have the exact same speech from last year too He's probably been practicing on it for a year. Sullivan haha

"my family, who has been with me since the beginning"... well that goes without saying.

Sergei is so cool.