We Only Have 60 Minutes!

It goes without saying that Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor deserves some congratulations on winning the Lady Byng Award based on how he played this season. The award is handed out each season "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." I'm not here to rip on Connor or any of the other award winners who have already been announced by the NHL, but this trickle out of information is thoroughly less satisfying than having all of the award winners announced on the same night. Because the NHL Awards gala is just an hour long on ESPN this season, I guess time played a major factor in announcing seven trophy winners before June 21.

I get that some of these awards shows seem to run forever, and it's pretty clear that the NHL is learning from its pandemic era that the remote video awards that moved along much quicker was a better format. I don't fault them for this, but awarding just six awards on "NHL Awards night" of 16 total awards they'll hand out seems to miss the mark when it comes to an awards night.

Some of the awards can and should be handed out prior to the show mainly because there's less mystique and wonder around those awards. If the Mark Messier Leadership Award and the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award get announced before the awards event, that's fine. Those awards, while still important based on what they're awarded for, should likely also be included, but they don't hold the same cachet as the Selke Award or the Jack Adams Award. When we talk about being the best at one's position or role, those awards should be kept together.

I say this because the June 21 event will feature the following five awards being announced: Calder Memorial Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, James Norris Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Vezina Trophy. If you're reading along in order, that's the top rookie, the most valuable player in the regular season, the best defenceman, the most valuable player as judged by his peers, and the best goalie. We should have the best defensive forward (Selke) and the best coach (Adams) on the same night because they're identifying the one person who stood above everyone else.

Like the Academy Awards, not every award presentation has to be done live on camera. There can be an hour before the TV event starts where the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, the Conn Smythe Tropy, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy can be awarded. We don't need to see the Mark Messier Leadership Award, the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, and the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award winners being handed their awards. The stories of why these people received their awards is often more important than the presentation of the award as it is, so hand out those six awards off-camera.

Again, I'm not discounting these awards in any way. Each are important, and they can and should be presented. As I've already stated, though, the reasons WHY these awards were won is more important than the actual presentation. It's just that being a Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalist doesn't quite rank as high as, say, a Hart Trophy finalist. A player can use the King Clancy Memorial Trophy finalist evidence in a contract negotiation, but I don't see that moving the needle as much as, say, being a James Norris Memorial Trophy finalist.

Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but awards for being the best at one's position or role should be grouped together and presented on the same night. Let's bump the Frank J. Selke Trophy presentation and the Jack Adams Award presentation back to the big night because these men deserve the same applause and celebration as the Vezina Trophy winner and the Calder Memorial Trophy winner for being the best at what they do.

You can catch the presentations of the Calder Memorial Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, James Norris Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Vezina Trophy on June 21 on ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports at 7pm ET as Saturday Night Live comedian Kenan Thompson will host the event that night live from either New York City or Tampa on the second night of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

Along with the five awards above, the NHL will also hand out the EJ McGuire Award of Excellence presented annually by the NHL to a candidate who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism. They'll also announced the finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award which will be awarded on July 7.

If you're doing the math, that's about 6-7 minutes per presentation if we're factoring in all the commercials the NHL will demand to be run during that hour-long programming block and all the setup needed for each award. The NHL only has an hour to squeeze in their five most important awards. And another lesser-known award. And some finalists for an award that will be presented two weeks later. Instead of presenting the Frank J. Selke Trophy and the Jack Adams Award that night. Makes total sense, right?

The top people at their positions or roles in the NHL will be honoured on June 21... unless you're the best defensive forward or the best coach. Make sure you tune in for all the excitement... unless you wanted to see who won the Selke Trophy or the Jack Adams Award because those have already been handed out. I'm looking forward to a big night... for just five of the NHL's best players!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!