Norris Trophy nods Lidstrom, Weber and Chara
Written by hockeyheidi, Monday April 25 2011
Every playoff run, the media touts the strength of the goaltending. And this year is the same as Philadelphia and Anaheim's tumultuous turnstile in net hasn't helped. Sure, you can point to Jimmy Howard's performance for the Red Wings as strong for now, but a better example is the remarkable talent by Pekka Rinne to help advance Nashville to Round 2, the first in team history. Rinne is a testimonial of goaltending strength. But you can't score if you can't cross the blue line.
Whether a slapshot from center ice or a deflection off the boards, a defenseman knows the reverb and puts in place his stop. Defense matters too, and the finalists this year for the Norris Memorial Trophy are all captains of their respective teams.
This season's notable nominees include the nomination of Zdeno Chara as a finalist for D-man of the year. This is Chara's third nomination in four years. Much concern has arisen regarding Zdeno Chara's light touch in the playoffs, especially as the Bruins faced Montreal and erase the turmoil from the legal yet concerning hit on Max Pacioretty. Chara is under scrutiny and the hype over hits has Chara playing the game carefully. Don Cherry is sad to see Chara's physical game diminish, but that is what the debate on hits has surfaced- changing the nature of the game. The culture of the game of hockey will be tainted by stricter hit enforcement. USA Hockey leads the charge in eliminating dangerous play in youth hockey as a way to send a message to parents and the NHL. Chara is not a bad man, but he's a big man and a devastating man. I've seen him flatten plenty of guys around the boards. Defense is cutting off the open ice. But kids need room to move and spread their wings, so for the youth hockey the light touch may not be such a bad idea. Chara does have the spotlight on him for so many reasons and because he's a smart player he knows to cool it down for now. Chara's 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) put him in his seventh consecutive season surpassing the 40-point plateau.
Nicklas Lidstrom plans on moving back home to Sweden when he retires. His kids don't want to leave Detroit, and though it may sound crazy to some Detroit is a nice place to live if you love hockey. Uniting an entire state, from Alpena to Zeeland, the Red Wings has the power to move masses. And so does Lidstrom. He's been nominated for the Norris Trophy for the past 11 seasons, and won it six times. Lidstrom ranks second among NHL defensemen with 62 points (16 goals, 46 assists). His nagging stat for a defensman is his minus-2 rating on the year. But, he's the man and he's expected to retire soon so he's got a good chance.
Nashville's Shea Weber has been waiting for this moment for years. The season where he's nominated for the Norris Trophy and breaking the first-round barrier. This is Weber’s first Norris nomination. Nashville will most likely meet the Wings in the next round and the Wings should be worried. The fans are creating quite a fuss over their burgeoning Predators with top skill in Captain Shea Weber. He set single-season career highs in several categories, including assists (32) and shots (254). Weber led Nashville defensemen in scoring with 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists) and when he scored a goal, the Predators went 13-2-1.
The winner will be announced at the 2011 NHL Awards in Las Vegas June 22.
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