blank'/> THE PUCK REPORT: June 2011

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

2011 NHL Individual Awards Winners

When it comes to the NHL Awards, a handful are earned on statistical achievement while the rest are won through votes cast by various organizations depending on the award. The chart below shows the award winners for the 2011 NHL season.

NHL Award              Winner 
Conn Smythe Trophy                              Tim Thomas
Art Ross Trophy Daniel Sedin
Maurice Richard Trophy Corey Perry
Plus-Minus Award Zdeno Chara
Hart Trophy Corey Perry
Ted Lindsay Award Daniel Sedin
Selke Trophy Ryan Kesler
Norris Trophy Nicklas Lidstrom
Vezina Trophy Tim Thomas
Jennings Trophy Roberto Luongo/Corey Schneider
Roger Crozier Award Tim Thomas
Calder Trophy Jeff Skinner
Jack Adams Award Dan Bylsma
GM of the Year Mike Gillis
Bill Masterton Trophy                        Ian Laperriere
Lady Byng Trophy Martin St. Louis
King Clancy Trophy Doug Weight
Foundation Award Dustin Brown
Messier Award Zdeno Chara

2011 NHL First All-Star Team honors went to Thomas (G), Lidstrom (D), Weber (D), H. Sedin (C), Perry (RW) and D. Sedin (LW). The 2011 NHL Second All-Star Team roster was Rinne (G), Chara (D), Visnovsky (D), Stamkos (C), St. Louis (RW) and Ovechkin (LW).  

The 2011 NHL All-Rookie Team was comprised of newcomers Corey Crawford (G), John Carlson (D), P.K. Subban (D), Logan Couture (F), Michael Grabner (F) and Jeff Skinner (F).

* See also 2019 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2018 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2017 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2016 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2015 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2014 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2013 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2012 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2010 NHL Individual Awards Winners.
* See also 2009 NHL Individual Awards Winners.

2011 NHL Individual Statistical Leaders

With only five trophies awarded for statistical achievement alone (Art Ross, Rocket Richard, Plus-Minus, Jennings, Crozier) there are plenty of accomplishments that escape recognition at the NHL Awards. The list below provides a complete picture of the 2011 NHL individual leaders in a variety of pertinent regular season statistical categories.

SKATERS
Points: D. Sedin (104)
Points/G: Crosby (1.61)
ES Points: D. Sedin/Perry (62)
PP Points: D. Sedin (42)
SH Points: Nielsen (8)
Goals: Perry (50)
Goals/G: Crosby (.78)
ES Goals: Perry (32)
PP Goals: D. Sedin (18)
SH Goals: Nielsen (7)
GW Goals: Ovechkin/Perry (11)
EN Goals: Dubinsky/Lucic (5)
Assists: H. Sedin (75)
Assists/G: H. Sedin (.91)
Shots: Ovechkin (367)
Missed Shots: Ovechkin (159)
Plus/Minus: Chara (33)
PIMs: Konopka (307)
Minor Penalty: Subban (42)
Major Penalty: Parros (27)
Game Misconduct: Gillies (3)
TOI: Keith (2,204:33)
TOI/Game: Keith (26:53)
Shifts: Bouwmeester (2,554)
TOI/Shift: Green (62)
Face Off %: Steckel (62.3)
Giveaways: Kovalchuk (104)
Takeaways: Thornton (114)
Blocked Shots: Girardi (236)
Hits: Clutterbuck (336)

GOALIES
Wins: Luongo/Price (38)
Losses: Khabibulin (32)
Shots Against: Ward (2,375)
Saves: Ward (2,191)
GA: Ward (184)
GAA: Thomas (2.00)
SV%: Thomas (.938)
Shutouts: Lundqvist (11)
TOI: Ward (4,317:35)

Perhaps one day the NHL will expand their annual awards selection to include more of these categories. Until then, we'll leave it up to the voters to determine who's ripe for recognition.

2011 NHL Team Statistical Leaders And Laggers

With only four trophies awarded to NHL clubs (Presidents', Clarence Campbell, Prince of Wales, Stanley Cup), plenty of team accomplishments go undetected. Listed below are the best and worst teams in a variety of statistically measured categories from the 2011 NHL season.

Wins: VAN (54) - EDM (25)
Losses: EDM (45) - VAN (19)
OT Wins: BUF/ATL/PIT (15) - BOS (3)
OT Losses: NYI/CLB/PHO (13) - ANA/NYR/NJD (5)
SO Wins: PIT/LAK (10) - EDM/OTT/BOS (2)
SO Losses: EDM (9) - BUF/COL (1)
SO Win %: COL (.857) - EDM (.181)
Points: VAN (117) - EDM (62)
Goals/G: VAN (3.15) - NJD (2.08)
GA/G: VAN (2.20) - COL (3.50)
PP%: VAN (24.3) - FLA (13.1)
PK%: PIT (86.1) - COL (76.1)
Shots/G: SJS (34.5) - MIN (26.2)
SA/G: NJD (26.2) - CAR (33.2)
Faceoff %: VAN (54.9) - EDM (44.2)
Shutouts: NYR/BOS (11) - PHI (0)
PIM/G: FLA (8.7) - NYI (18.5)
SHG: NYI (15) - TBL (1)
SHGA: STL (1) - TBL (16)
+/-: BOS (+58) - OTT (-52)
Hits/G: NYR (28.4) - BUF (18.3)
Blocks/G: NYI (16.9) - NJD (10.7)
Giveaways/G: EDM (11.8) - CBJ (4.6)
Takeaways/G: NYI (10.7) - BOS (5.2)

In sum, Vancouver enjoyed top honors for wins, goals per game, fewest goals allowed per game, powerplay percentage, and faceoff percentage with Boston leading in shutouts and plus/minus. At the other end of the spectrum, Edmonton led the league in losses and giveaways, while trailing all others in faceoff percentage and plus-minus.

With the Oilers selecting 1st overall for the 2nd consecutive NHL Draft, the question is not if but when they'll find their former glory.

Five years separated from their last playoff berth, the sooner the better.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Henrik Sedin Interview - 2011 Stanley Cup Final

After Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, we spoke with captain Henrik Sedin about the series and his post-game conversation with the officials. These are his stories.

Q: How disappointed were you on a personal level not to contribute more during the Stanley Cup Final?
A: Yeah. It’s our job to score. It’s our job to step up and we didn’t do it. So it’s extremely disappointing.

Q: What did you say to the referee at the end of the game when you shook is hand?
A: Ah, I’m proud of those guys. They did a great job game in and game out. You have to be respectful. They have a tough job. They get a lot of stuff from the players and coaches. It’s a tough job and they’ve been great.

Many thanks to Henrik for speaking with us. Best of luck next season.

Sami Salo Interview - 2011 Stanley Cup Final

After Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, we caught up with the oft-injured veteran blueliner Sami Salo to discuss his health and hockey future. These are his stories.

Q: Was that your last game playing for the Vancouver Canucks?
A: I don’t know.

Q: Do you think you’ll be back next year or are you planning to retire?
A: No, I’m not going to retire. I know that for sure.

Q: Are you’re going to play in the NHL next year?
A: Well it all depends if I get a deal from some team. But you know, I’ve felt really good in the playoffs. I’ve felt like myself. I had a really long beginning of the season. It was really tough coming back. But I’ve felt right from the first game against Chicago. I was back as the same me as I was before.

Q: Do you feel like playing just half a season is a better fit for you?
A: I don’t know, but obviously you can’t feel tired after not playing at full season.

Q: Daniel and Henrik Sedin took a discount to stay in Vancouver. Would you be willing to do the same?
A: Yeah, for sure. I think my family has loved their time in Vancouver. We’ve been here since 2002, so nine years or so. We’ll see what happens, but it’s been a really good fit for the years that I’ve been here.

Q: Does Vancouver feel like home?
A: Yes it does. My kids have gone through the schools here and through that we’ve made lots of friends. The kids have lots of different activities and lots of friends, so it feels like home.

Many thanks to Sami for speaking with us. Best of luck next season.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 History

For the 16th time in NHL history the Stanley Cup Finals have reached an all-deciding Game 7. Tonight's contest has the Boston Bruins playing the Vancouver Canucks, promising the Cup's first hoist in Vancouver.

Year: Teams (Winners in Bold)
1942: DET at TOR
1945: TOR at DET
1950: NYR at DET
1954: MTL at DET
1955: MTL at DET
1964: DET at TOR
1965: CHI at MTL
1971: MTL at CHI
1987: PHI at EDM
1994: VAN at NYR
2001: NJD at COL
2003: ANA at NJD
2004: CGY at TBL
2006: EDM at CAR2009: PIT at DET
2011: BOS at VAN

Only 3 times in the past 15 tries (20%) have visiting teams stolen Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals. This series signifies the 6th time that teams have won all their home games in the Final leading up to Game 7. Of the prior 5, thrice the home team continued the trend (DET 1955, MTL 1965, NJD 2003) and twice they were toppled (MTL 1971, PIT 2009).

The match marks the 7th Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, tying a 1994 record for the most Game 7s in a postseason.

Tonight's the night. Yes it is.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Cory Schneider Interview - 2011 Stanley Cup Final

After Game 5 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins we caught up with Jennings winning backup goaltender Cory Schneider to discuss the club's statistical anomaly and not-so-secret weapon, red headed players. These are his stories.

Q: Have you ever played with so many redheads on the same team?
A: No I haven’t. Yeah, it’s been pointed out a few times. We’ll take it. Seems to be working for us.

Q: Do you count Jannik Hansen as a redhead?
A: No, not even close.

Q: Come on.
A: No, it’s just the twins.

Q: What about Victor Oreskovich?
A: Meh, red facial hair. We’ll take Bolduc, I think he counts. I don’t know about Vic though. We’re very strict.

Q: Alright, Victor Oreskovich and Jannik Hansen aside there's still you, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Alex Bolduc, Raffi Torres, cameraman Rory McGarry, and equipment manager Brian "Red" Hamilton. It’s a little strange, right? I mean approximately one percent of the world's population has red hair yet over twenty percent of this team does.
A: I think it’s great. It’s worked for us so far. So let’s get more in here. Let’s get Mike Commodore in here.

Many thanks to Cory for speaking with us.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Jannik Hansen Interview - 2011 Stanley Cup Final

After Game 1 of the 2011 Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, we spoke with Jannik Hansen who set up the game winner and became the first Danish player to skate in a Staney Cup Final. These are his stories.

Q: What’s been the biggest adjustment in your game since transitioning to the NHL?
A: Obviously you have to change quite a bit in order to fit in here. In the minors there was a little more powerplay. On this team it’s hard to get time on the powerplay and be the go-to-guy when you got quality guys like this, so it’s a matter of changing the style a little bit in order to fit in.

Q: I’m not sure what the Danish hockey stereotype is, but you certainly have a Canadian sensibility to your game.
A: Yeah. I think that’s from coming over earlier and playing in the Western Hockey League. It kind of forces you to play that way since it’s smaller ice and not a whole lot of room. Coaches here want to see you play that way so it was kind of a fairly simple adjustment for me.

Q: Coach Vigneault was saying that you piss guys off in practice sometimes because you never let up.
A: Yeah, we try to practice like we play. Obviously that’s one of the perks as well. So if guys are yelling at me, I know I had a good practice.

Q: Were you surprised to see your line on the ice with 30 seconds to play in a scoreless Stanley Cup Final game?

A: No, not really. We’ve been really good defensively and we’ve been able to roll three or four lines the whole season and playoffs. That’s one of our strengths. It doesn’t really matter who’s out there, it’s a matter of playing the right way out there. And you saw the benefit of rolling the lines today and keep coming at them from every angle and every line.

Q: Tell me about the hallway soccer game the Canucks play before a match.
A: Yeah, it’s two touch. You have to keep the ball in the air. Whoever loses it is out. It’s just a fun way to warm up. You can only ride the bike and run on the treadmill so much, it kind of gets boring. It’s something a lot of the guys enjoy.

Q: How long do you play the game?
A: We play, I would say, for 20 minutes a day or half an hour depending on how much time we have.

Q: Is that a European introduction to the NHL?
A: I don’t know. The Canadians like to do it too. I don’t know if it was brought over. It’s been that way since I got here.

Q: Who’s the best soccer player on the Canucks?
A: The Sedin twins. It seems like it doesn’t matter which sport, they’re just superior.

Q: Describe your daily routine for a 5pm Stanley Cup Final game.
A: Today I got up at 8am, had breakfast in the hotel room and came down to the rink for 9am.

Q: Did you work out this morning?
A: No, there was no workout today. I was just kind of hanging out. Then I went back to the hotel for a pregame meal around 1130am and took a nap from 12pm to 2pm. Then it’s back to the rink again for the warmup and the whole pregame ritual and video.

Q: Do you have a roommate in the hotel at this time of year?
A: Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. Normally my roommate is Andrew Alberts. We shared a room for the last game but I don’t know if they made a mistake or something because we had our own rooms for this game.

Q: Who controls the music in the Canucks dressing room?
A: Hamhuis has quite a bit of touch on that. He’s bringing out some good rock songs and keeps it going. Otherwise it’s just whoever’s got a feel for it. If you get tired of a song you just put on something else.

Q: How do you feel about some members of the media reporting that the Canucks are the most hated team in the NHL?
A: We couldn't care less about what other people think. It's about the guys in the room, the fans of the team, the family. That's what matters for us.

Many thanks to Jannik for speaking with us.