The FFTI Awards!

Due to the NHL Awards being given out later today, here are the official FFTI Awards for the 2006-07 NHL season. Some award names may be changed due to the fact that my brain started working better.



FFTI Teemu Selanne Award (Previously the FFTI Rookie of The Year Award, nominees still the same)- Out of Evgeni Malkin (85 points, 78 games), Paul Stastny (78 points, 82 games), Jordan Staal (42 points, 81 games), Matthew Carle (42 points, 77 games), Anze Kopitar (61 points, 72 games), Mike Green (12 points, 70 games), the Brain (mine, by the way) has decided that Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche deserves the Teemu Selanne Award for best first year performance. He may have less points than Malkin, who is almost certain to win the NHL's official Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, but, if you haven't heard this from everyone else, listen up. Malkin scored 7 goals in his first 6 games, but then only 26 over the next 72. Stastny, on the other hand, had no such famous streak until down the stretch, when he had a 20-game point streak. He performed consistently all year, and wasn't highly touted for this year, unlike Malkin. Therefore, the award is his, and, believe me, if I had any was to contact him, I would tell him.





FFTI Ken Dryden Award- From the nominees of Mike Smith (23 games, 12 wins), Jaroslav Halak (16 games, 10 wins), and Josh Harding (7 games, 3 wins), I have decided that Mike Smith will grab this award. While the others had great performances, it was Smith who impressed me most, because he was there all year, but the others were injury call-ups.





FFTI Key Player Award- Basically the Hart trophy, the nominees were Sidney Crosby (120 points, 79 games), Roberto Luongo (76 games, 47 wins), Olli Jokinen (91 points, 82 games), Alex Ovechkin (92 points, 82 games), Nicklas Lidstrom (62 points, 80 games). All of these players were certainly key, but, after the playoffs (only Luongo, Crosby, and Lidstrom made it), I believe the trophy should go to Luongo. He had a stellar regular season, tying Bernie Parent's previous record for wins in one season (Martin Broduer raised it to 48 this year), and then kept the 'Nucks alive in the playoffs until they faced the eventual Stanley Cup champion, the Ducks, in round 2.



FFTI Bobby Orr Award- Pretty much the Norris, the nominees for this trophy were Nicklas Lidstrom (Duh, 62 points, 80 games), Scott Niedermayer (Why not? 69 points, 79 games, Conn Smythe sounds good to me.), Sergei Gonchar (67 points, 82 games, really young team), Kevin Bieska (sorry, messed up the name before, 42 points, 81 games), Kimmo Timonen (55 points, 80 games), Phillipe Boucher (51 points, 76 games, I'm a Stars fan). Out of these players, I believe that this trophy should go to (gasp) Sergei Gonchar. He was on a really young team, and hardly got noticed due to the fact that his team as a whole wasn't very responsible defensively. He still managed to have a great season. Congratulations Gonchar, enjoy it because you won't get the Norris.



FFTI Pavel Kubina Award- To the best defensive defenseman, if you can't tell by the nominees. By the way, they were Anton Volchenkov (78 games, 273 blocked shots, nuf said), Jason Smith (82 games, 228 blocked shots, horrible defensive team ravaged by injuries), Andy Sutton (55 games, 162 blocked shots), Karlis Skrastins (68 games, 190 blocked shots, blocking shots not reason for end of games-played streak), Zybnek Michalek (82 games, 167 blocked shots, another weak team). Of course, after watching him keep up that kind of play through the playoffs, I need to give this to Anton Volchenkov. The guy was amazing. Yes, in Game 5 he messed up a few times, but, unlike some of his teammates, he didn't just give up. HE kept trying. He was great.



FFTI Bob Probert Award- Lots of fights, lots of points, lots of toughness. Nominees were Sean Avery, Chris Neil, Kevin Bieska, and Keith Tkachuk. I couldn't bring up the stats, but, I think everyone would agree that Sean Avery gets this award. The man scored 48 points in 84 games, and still had the occasional outburst.



FFTI Jacques Plante Award- Basically the Vezina, doesn't have to be on a weak team. Nominees were, Martin Broduer, Roberto Luongo, Marc-Andre Fleury (sorry, another mistake on the name, 40 wins, 67 games), Niklas Backstrom (23 wins, 41 games). Now, because I didn't even use two of the NHL's nominees, it makes it all that much easier to pick Roberto Luongo for this award. If you don't know why I picked him, look at the reason provided in the Key Player award.



FFTI Roberto Luongo Award- I know I picked a goalie for my Key Player Award, but this is like the goalie's Hart Trophy. Nominees were Luongo (he won't win yet), Marc-Andre Fluery, Henrik Lundqvist (37 wins, 70 games), Cam Ward (30 wins, 60 games), Rick DiPietro (32 wins, 62 games). Well, it's kind of hard to pick this, since each goalie was key to the team's success, but this award will go to Henrik Lundqvist. He had a great regular season, despite starting shaky, and ended up doing well in the post-season too.



FFTI Scotty Bowman Award- It's just like the Jack Adams, but I used a different great coach. The nominees were Ted Nolan (coached 40 wins out of 82 games, made playoffs), Michel Therrien (coached 47 wins out of 82 games, made playoffs), Andy Murray (team had 34 wins in 82 games, nearly .500, he was the reason for it). Out of these nominees, I would have to say that Michel Therrien deserves this award, due to the fact that he was given a team that struggled last season, and improved it's poor defense, peiced together a great compliment to Crosby on offense, and turned Marc-Andre Fleury from soft-goal-loser to all-star-winner.



FFTI GM of the Year- This will go to either Garth Snow, Brian Burke, Darcy Regier, or Ray Shero, and, you know, I'll just go with the best. Brian Burke has to win this award. The Ducks had high expectations all year, and he kept the Ducks up there. Way to go.



FFTI Unknown Player of the Year- You may have heard their names, but you've likely never heard how much they mean to their team's. I nominated Petteri Numelin (20 points, 51 games, killer shootout accuracy), Jason Pominville (68 points, 82 games, and you still here more about the Bruins goaltending than you do him), Andrew Brunette (83 points, 82 games, and most people still think he's a journeyman), Alexander Semin (73 points, 77 games, but, he plays on the same team as Ovechkin), David Vyborny (64 points, 82 games, but did you know he does that consistently?). I say this award goes to David Vyborny, because he sets up Rick Nash so much, that everyone just thinks he's a machine that isn't actually a great player. But he is actually really good. Just watch him.



FFTI Bill Masterton- According to the NHL, this award goes to, "is given to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The winner is selected in a poll of all chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season." So my nominees, Teemu Selanne (won it last year), Mark Streit (can't play his natural position, but does well anyways), Stu Barnes (you'd think he scores more with how hard he plays), and Wayne Primeau (Another selfless player) all fit right in. In honor of his Stanley Cup win, and his ability to score 40 goals a season when some thought he would be retired by now, Temmu Selanne gets my Masterton award.



FFTI Alexei Yashin Award- Despite Yashin's good play this year, he is still known for being an underacheiver. Nominees Sergei Samsonov (consistently scored 20 goals, but dropped to 26 points), Jeff Carter (42 rookie year points, and 23 rookie goals, just 37 points, and 14 goals this year), and Fredrik Sjostrom (WHL sniper still firing NHL blanks, 9 goals and 18 points through 78 games makes a career high in goals) unfortunatley all fit that category. Samsonov will get the award this year, due to not only his poor play, but his poor attitude as well. I hope that I don't have to give out this award very often, because it stinks to downplay these guys even more.



FFTI Goon Award- To the player who's fighting style I like most. Nominees were Colton Orr, Derek Boogard, Ben Eager, Brian McGrattan, and Andrew Peters. I should have nominated Ray Emery for his smile-while-trying-to-KO-a-guy style, but since he's not in there, I'll go with Ben Eager. The youngster may not realize it, but he provided a bright spot to the Flyers' disastrous season by fighting.



Thanks for your time to read my awards. Tomorrow, after the real NHL awards have been given out, I'll compare my similar awards to the ones given out by the NHL. See ya later!