And the winner is...

...those who watched the NHL Awards with low expectations.

Don't get me wrong; I love a good awards ceremony, but this was pretty predictable in every way. The only thing that really surprised me was Richard Zednik getting snubbed for the Masterton, and that was a disappointing surprise.

However, eternal optimist that I am (today), there were some things that I absolutely loved about the ceremony:

* Seeing Max Talbot and Evgeni Malkin as unofficial "Keepers of the Cup" never fails to make me smile. I love that a grinder like Talbot is getting his time in the spotlight.

I love that Geno has keep a hand on the Cup like it might run away.

* Patty La sighting! He was one of my first "favorites," so I still light up every time I see him.

* Timmy Thomas was phenomenal with both of his speeches. He got me choked up to hear him thank his wife for following him wherever he had to play. He also got me snickering with his comment to Manny Fernandez when they accepted the Jennings Trophy:

I think that wins the title of "Best Unintentionally Comedic Moment at a Boring Awards Show"

* Jarome Iginla and his pearly whites made an appearance to accept the Mark Messier Leadership Award.

When I heard him talk about their "core" of players and how long they've waited to win the Cup; it actually made me kind of sad. Not that I don't love Craig Rivet, but I wish our captain was part of our "core," grew up with the nucleus of our team. Who am I kidding, I just wish Goose was our captain, and I'm starting to get bitter about it.

Pommer and Kaner and Ovie - Oh My!

It's time to talk about the award show everyone was glued to last night...

Bravo's A-List Awards!

Just kidding!

The NHL gave out its annual awards last night, and, of course, they had to schedule the ceremony while I was still at work. That, combined with my family's aversion to getting Tivo, means that all I have to base my opinions on are the photos from Yahoo!, the brief but helpful new coverage, and the recaps provided by all of my favorite bloggers.

What I missed:

• Alexander Ovechkin can now add Hart Trophy and Pearson Award-winner to his resume along with his invention of the concepts of "fun" and "enthusiasm."


• Vinny Lecavalier spoke in French during his acceptance speech for the award for being not only beautiful on the outside but the inside as well. It may be a good thing I missed this because my body may not have recovered from the massive swooning.


• Apparently, voters think that Pavel Datsyuk is more of a gentleman than Jason Pominville. That's ok, Pommers, if they gave out awards for dedication to "The System" and most endearingly delusional optimism - you would win in a heartbeat. Oh well, you still get to room with Goose, which, in my mind, is better than any award.


• Pat Kane is doing nothing to combat my desire to marry him and join his adorable family. His speech was delivered surprisingly well - you did us proud once again, Kaner!

And now for the award that really matters: Katie's Most Attractive Man of the Evening Award (and the 3 runners-up - because I just want an excuse to post pretty pictures of studly men):

4.) Jarome Iginla

The smile! The polka dots! I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to watch the West before I loved Iggy.

3.) Vinny Lecavalier

I know that he shaved his beautiful head, but he is still more attractive than 99% of all the men I've ever seen.

2.) Jason Pominville

I like the lighting in this picture - it makes him look even more like the cute, little angel that he really is. Now, that is the face of a gentleman (no offense, Datsyuk).

1.) Patrick Kane

I need to get out more if there are other guys like him wandering around our fair city.

And the Award Goes To...

It feels like it's been far longer than a week since the Stanley Cup Finals ended. Thankfully, the hockey gods (or NHL executives) have smiled upon us and given us a major blogging topic to satisfy our need for hockey talk and good looking men in tuxedos:

The NHL Awards!

And, of course, I am scheduled to work tomorrow while they will be aired. I hope to come back to detailed recaps and lovely pictures (pretty please!).

In the spirit of award show fun, I present my picks for all of the awards that will be handed out tomorrow in Toronto.

Award: Hart Trophy (NHL MVP)

Nominees: Alexander Ovechkin (Washington), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh), Jarome Iginla (Calgary)
My Pick: Alexander Ovechkin. As much as I LOVE Iggy's glowing smile and captain-y goodness and Geno's ability to take over games with his scoring ability and blank stares, if any award tomorrow is a foregone conclusion, it's this one.

Award: Vezina Trophy (Top Goaltender)

Nominees: Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose), Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers), Martin Brodeur (NJ)

My Pick: Evgeni Nabokov. I know Brodeur is Brodeur, but I really like the newcomer in this race. Nabokov led the NHL in victories with 46, while tying Brodeur for most games played (77). His most impressive stat, however, may be the fact that he didn't sit for a game until January 13, 43 games into the season.

Award: Norris Trophy (Top Defenseman)

Nominees: Nick Lidstrom (Detroit), Dion Phaneuf (Calgary), Zdeno Chara (Boston)

My Pick: Nick Lidstrom. It's hard to argue with the captain and blueline stronghold of one of the stingiest defenses in the NHL. Though he did spend some time injured this season, Lidstrom still managed to keep his +/- rating a +40 while logging an average of 26:25 in ice time during Detroit's President's Trophy winning season.

Award: Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year)

Nominees: Patrick Kane (Chicago), Nick Backstrom (Washington), Jonathan Toews (Chicago)

My Pick: Patrick Kane. In the battle of the Blackhawks, I think my future husband (haha) will edge out his road roomie because of his offensive prowess. He led all rookies in scoring with 72 points while playing against the top lines of his opponents. Also, he led all rookies in shootout goals, scoring on 7 of 9 attempts. I may be biased towards this homegrown star, but the stats don't lie - he's earned this award.

Award: Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Gentelmanly Play)

Nominees: Jason Pominville (Buffalo), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit), Martin St. Louis (Tampa)

My Pick: Jason Pominville. I know this judgment is ridiculously biased, and I know Pommers probably won't win, but there is certainly a good case for him here. He is definitely the most gentlemanly of the Sabres, a team containing many gentleman (not named Tim Connolly - sorry Timmay). He excelled as our Captain, earning a career-high 80 points. He also committed only 10 minor penalties while playing in all 82 games for the Sabres.

Award: Frank Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward)

Nominees: Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit), Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit), John Madden (NJ)

My Pick: Henrik Zetterberg. Watching him play against every team's top line is like watching a clinic in prefect two-way hockey.

Award: Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year)

Nominees: Mike Babcock (Detroit), Guy Carbonneau (Montreal), Bruce Boudreau (Washington)

My Pick: Bruce Boudreau. Before he was named coach, the Caps were 6-14-1. After he moved behind the bench, they captured the Southeast Division title. No other team had ever made the playoffs after standing in 14th place at midseason; he took them to the 3rd seed. Montreal's resurgence was impressive as well, but nowhere near as dramatic as this.

Award: Masterton Trophy (Perseverance to Hockey)

Nominees: Jason Blake (Toronto), Chris Chelios (Detroit), Fernando Pisani (Edmonton)

My Pick: Paul Gaustad! Wait...Goose didn't make the cut? Oh well, then I'll go with Jason Blake. The man has leukemia and still managed to play in all 82 games. If that's not the very definition of perseverance, I'm not sure what is.

Award: Lester B. Pearson Award (NHLPA voted MVP)

Nominees: See Hart Trophy

My Pick: If Ovechkin doesn't win, he is either a pretty unpopular guy or hockey players are dumber than we think!

Let's hope Pommers looks extra-spiffy in his tux tomorrow. That way, any hardware he happens to bring home will simply be an added bonus.