2011 NHL Awards Update: Best performances of 2010-2011 season to be honoured –Part 1
In one of the greatest traditions in the sports world, the National Hockey League (NHL) annually ends a fantastic regular and postseason by having the NHL Awards to honour the best performances throughout the league. The stars and celebrities will be packing
the Pearl Concert Theatre inside the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, June 22.
Along with a number of guest performances by some of the best known singers in the industry today, namely, country music star, Dierks Bentley, and hip hop/electro pop group, Far East Movement, a number of celebrities will make an appearance and actor/comedian,
Jay Mohr, will be hosting the event once again for the second time in a row.
A number of awards will be handed out to the winners of different categories based on special achievements and consistent performances.
Players from all part of the ice will be recognised according to their specific position performances.
The 2011 NHL Awards is not only an event to honour players, but it also allows the fans to see their favourite players under the same roof after an exciting and hectic regular and playoff season.
The awards up for grabs for players are:
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy is the NHL’s award for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season. It is based not only on point calculation, like the Art Ross Trophy, but it takes into consideration the contribution of a specific player throughout the
regular season.
This year’s candidates for the Hart Memorial Trophy are Anaheim Ducks’ Corey Perry, Vancouver Canucks’ Daniel Sedin and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Martin St. Louis.
Perry was the only player to score 50 goals during the regular season and singlehandedly carried his team into the playoffs.
Sedin has no match, performance wise, since his collaboration with Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler formed an unstoppable trio which also led him to winning the Art Ross Trophy for the most points in the season.
St. Louis is also one of the best forwards in the league because he’s able to play well in every situation. He led his team to the Stanley Cup in 2004 against Calgary Flames and nearly took it to its second in seven years but was defeated in the Eastern
Conference Finals by Boston Bruins. He was barely behind Daniel Sedin with 99 points at the end of the season.
Vezina Trophy
One of the most highly anticipated awards of the event will certainly be the Vezina Trophy, which is given out to the top goalie of the season and the playoffs.
Since the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals between Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins was a pure faceoff of veteran defenders, all the fans have their eyes set on who will be winning the cup.
Without a doubt, two of the nominees for this award are Vancouver’s goalie, Roberto Luongo, and Boston’s goalie, Tim Thomas. The third might not be such a surprise when you hear the name, Pekka Rinne of Nashville Predators.
The first two names, Luongo and Thomas, have earned a place in history for their spectacular performances during the regular and playoff season.
Pekka Rinne might not have went so far in the playoffs as Canucks eliminated Predators in the semifinals, but he singlehandedly led his team above the quarterfinals for the first time in the franchise’s history.
Thomas will obviously be under the spot light since he emerged as the winner in game-seven and also won the Conn Smythe Trophy which is the equivalent of the MVP during the playoffs.
The rest to be continued in part 2...
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