Jay and I take a shot at predicting who goes home with which hardware. Since I predicted the eventual Stanley Cup winner, I'm pretty positive that my guesses are a bit better than Big Jay's.
JAY
Hart: Is there any debate? Ovi gets the Hart. Leading scorer and brought the Caps to a Game 7 in the playoffs. No one expected the latter and no one was surprised about the former.
Vezina: Nabokov. 46 wins without Brian Campbell for half a season.
Norris: I would love to see my boy Chara win and I think he is deserving but I really can't argue how great Lidstrom is. #5 is already a top 5 of all-time and still brings it every night.
Calder: This is like picking who's hotter? Jessica Alba, Jessica Simpson, or Carmen Electra. I'm going with Kane because of his size, scoring, and pure excitement.
Lady Byng: Datsyuk
Selke: See Byng but it'd be odd to give him both. If not, a Red Wing teammate Zetterberg.
Jack Adams: Bruce Boudreau took a team that absolutely no one in November was talking about to the hottest team in the league and an amazing playoff push. The Caps are now viable again.
MIKE
Hart: Have to agree with Jay on this. Ovechkin was an absolute horse the last few months of the season and helped the Caps take to 7 against the Flyers. Malkin, too, was absolutely amazing while Crosby was injured but Ovi is the right choice.
Vezina: I want to pick Lundqvist and his 10 shutouts but Nabokov had a sensational season after 2 so-so years. Brodeur is Brodeur and I wouldn't be surprised to see him win his 4th. Let's go with Brodeur.
Norris: I can't see how Lidstrom doesn't win this again. Chara had a very good year and Phanuef will win one in due time but this Swede is just a bit better than everyone else at the moment.
Calder: I said earlier in the year on the web site that this award was between Kane and Toews but Backstrom really impressed down the stretch. How about a split Chicago vote and Backstrom wins by a nose.
Lady Byng: Pominville and Datsyuk had 20 minutes in penalties the entire year. St. Louis just a hair more. Not an award the guys get too excited about but I'm going with Datsyuk.
Selke: Gotta go with Jay on this one again. Zetterberg and Datsyuk showed the league and the fans why they are two of the best two-way players in the league. Can't give both the Byng and the Selke to Datsyuk so this one goes to Z.
Jack Adams: If the voting for this was done after the Stanley Cup you'd have to give it to the man behind the Wings bench. Masterful job during the Wings run to the Cup. So I have to go with Boudreau. By all accounts, a dedicated hockey man whose time has come. What a job to get these Caps into the playoffs when all looked lost not three weeks before the end of the season.
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