Sports Logic

While we're walking down the street these days, people often ask us who we think are the quarter-pole NHL award winners. So with that in mind, we will tell you in one convenient document. Enjoy.

1. Who is the Hart Trophy (MVP) winner at the quarter pole?

WAYNE SAYS: My Candidates: Joe Thornton, Sharks; Anze Kopitar, Kings; Dany Heatley, Sharks; Alex Ovechkin, Capitals; Chris Pronger, Flyers; Marian Gaborik, Rangers; Zach Parise, Devils; Ilya Kovalchuk, Thrashers

Let's start with getting the big one out of the way. I really, really like the way Joe Thornton is playing this year and the numbers him and Dany Heatley are putting up in San Jose. Seeing what a healthy Marian Gaborik can do is mighty impressive. However, for my money this is a three-horse race between Ilya Kovalchuk, Anze Kopitar and Chris Pronger.

I don't see any other player making such a massive impact on his team. Kovalchuk is the Atlanta Thrashers. His 1.50 points per game is tops in the league and he can dominate the game with his stick handling, shot and passing abilities. Kopitar is rewarding LA's patience with gaudy numbers good enough to lead all NHL scorers. His combination of size, speed and skill is nearly impossible to handle and he leads an upstart Kings team into playoff position at the quarter pole. With Pronger, he brings a level of poise to the Flyers' blue line that's been missing for years. He eats minutes like few others in the league while making smart plays with the puck and uses his size to grind on the opposition's best players…while putting up great offensive numbers.

For my money, I'd take Chris Pronger as the early MVP. Philly was close to beating the Penguins in the playoffs last year and adding a premiere all-around defenceman to shut down the opposition's best player puts the Flyers in the thick of Cup Contender discussions.

SHAUN SAYS: This was hands down the hardest award to pick. On the one hand, you have a guy like Anze Kopitar, who is leading the league in scoring. That is normally a ticket to pick up the Hart, but not in my eyes. I also don't buy into this "most valuable to his team" garbage that some people seem to fall into.

With that in mind, my first quarter MVP is Zach Parise from the New Jersey Devils. He is a top 10 scorer in the league, he is the highest rated forward in terms of plus/minus and all of this without a wing-man with the skill of a Nicklas Backstrom. Not to mention the Devils are a top 5 team in the league, and he's being coached by a guy who seemingly hates offensive players.

Parise is not just an offensive player though. As his plus/minus indicates, Parise can play both ways, and has to be put in a group with guys like Pavel Datsyuk and Mike Richards in terms of two-way play.

Honorable Mention: Anze Kopitar, Kings; Ryan Miller, Sabres

2. Who is the Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) winner at the quarter pole?

WAYNE SAYS: My Candidates: Chris Pronger, Flyers; Drew Doughty, Kings; Duncan Keith, Blackhawks; Jay Bouwmeester, Flames; Tyler Myers, Sabres; Brent Seabrook, Blackhawks; Dan Boyle, Sharks; Shea Weber, Predators

Are those my choices for best defenceman in the NHL or a potential Olympic blue line? Outside of Myers, each of those guys could very well be headed to Vancouver in February. I like smooth skating, smart defencemen who can also contribute on offence and each guy fits that bill.

Doughty is already the anchor of the Kings blue line in his second season and Myers is playing a similar role for the Sabres as a rookie. In Chicago, Keith and Seabrook form the core of the Hawks stingy defence. Bouwmeester is quite possibly the smoothest skater in the NHL and is more rover than defenceman when the puck moves up ice. Shea Weber's one of those guys that can do it all...plus has one of the best powerplay point shots in the game. Then there's the older fellas. To see Pronger's effectiveness, look at his last three teams after he left. The Blues and Oilers missed the playoffs for three straight years and the Ducks are wallowing at the bottom of the Western Conference. Dan Boyle does nothing except put up huge numbers while facing top everybody's top players on the perennially contending Sharks.

While I think of Pronger as the most valuable player in the league, I see Keith as the league's best defenceman. His smarts with and without the puck, skating ability and the fact he spends little time in the penalty box while playing big minutes. It also doesn't hurt to be the key cog in the second-best defence in the league…especially when the biggest question mark on your team is goaltending (although both Huet and Niemi have been very good).

SHAUN SAYS: Something really irks me about this award. Often the nominees are the best offensive defensemen with no regard for their defensive play. There are some years that you can get the best of both worlds. In this instance, that's exactly what has happened.

In the offseason, when the Flyers traded for Chris Pronger, it was obvious that their intent was to solidify their already capable back-end. I'd have to believe what they were hoping to get was the Pronger who played in Edmonton or Anaheim. What they got was a rejuvenated Pronger, similar to the Hart Trophy winner in St. Louis. He is third in the league in plus/minus and has 4 goals and 14 assists to help the Flyers get off to a solid start. As an added bonus, he's turned Matt Carle into a top 4 defenseman after it looked like he was a 6-7 guy for much of his career.

Honorable Mention: Drew Doughty, Kings; Duncan Keith, Blackhawks

3. Who is the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) winner at the quarter-pole?

WAYNE SAYS: Tyler Myers, Sabres; John Tavares, Islanders; Matt Duchene, Avalanche; Ryan O'Reilly, Avalanche; James van Riemsdyk, Flyers; Evander Kane, Thrashers; Michael Del Zotto, Rangers

With so many good players under 25 in the league today, it's no surprise the rookie class is so deep. What's really surprising is how many of the rookies are complete players. Duchene, O'Reilly, van Riemsdyk and Kane can not only put up points, they are all very responsible defensively. On the back end, Myers and Del Zotto have impressed in all situations and especially on the power play. John Tavares is the most pure shooter and scorer of the bunch and will be a slam dunk winner if he gets on a hot streak.

This is the tightest race at this point of the season, and my vote goes to Myers because of how surprisingly well the Sabres with him logging major minutes.

SHAUN SAYS: Having seen him live last week, I am really tempted to say Matt Duchene. He will be a factor before the year is out, but as of right now, it has to be John Tavares. Not since Sidney Crosby has a player come into the league with so much hype behind him, and Tavares is delivering the goods. He is leading the NHL in rookie goals and points, and is giving his team a chance to win on a nightly basis; something the Islanders haven't had since the early 80s.

In addition to that, he has elevated the play of people around him. Matt Moulson has gone from Manchester Monarch to top line New York Islander overnight, and he has the playmaking ability of Tavares to thank for it.

Honorable Mention: James van Riemsdyk, Flyers; Tyler Myers, Sabres

4. Who is the Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) winner at the quarter-pole?

WAYNE SAYS: My Candidates: Ryan Miller, Sabres; Pekka Rinne, Predators; Craig Anderson, Avalanche; Evgeny Nabokov, Sharks; Ilya Bryzgalov, Coyotes; Martin Brodeur, Devils; Mikka Kiprusoff, Flame, Ray Emery, Flyers

Apparently, Olympic years bring out the best in goaltenders. Finland has Kiprusoff and Rinne, Russia touts Nabokov and Bryzgalov, the US features Miller and Anderson (wasn't it supposed to be Tim Thomas?) and Canadian goalies are playing well with Brodeur and former Bad Boy Emery.

Despite this year being heavy on great tending, the early season Vezina has to go to Ryan Miller. Nobody expected the Sabres to be this good and it's largely on the back of Miller. He's ridiculously sound technically and stopping pretty much everything that comes his way. And it's not even a close race when you factor in his league leading goals against average, second best save percentage, wins and shutouts.

SHAUN SAYS: This is an open and shut case. Ryan Miller is tied for 3^rd in wins (12) , 1^st in goals against average (1.97), and 2^nd in save percentage (.931). Plus, when you watch a Sabres game, you quickly realize that if Miller isn't in top form every night, the Sabres have no chance. Fortunately for the Sabres, he has been in top form pretty much every one of the 17 games he's played this season.

I don't really have much more to say on this topic, but two lines doesn't seem like enough. But I did preface it by saying it was an open and shut case. Does that make up for my lack of detail? Maybe I can just ramble on to fill another couple of lines and no one will know the difference…done and done.

Honorable Mention: Evgeni Nabokov, Sharks; Ilya Bryzgalov, Coyotes

5. Who is the Jack Adams (Best Coach) winner at the quarter-pole?

WAYNE SAYS: Joel Quennville, Blackhawks; Todd McClellan, Sharks; Lindy Ruff, Sabres; Terry Murray, Kings; Dave Tippett, Coyotes; John Stevens, Flyers; Barry Trotz, Predators; Joe Sacco, Avalanche

Another close race with the surging Hawks, steady Sharks surprising Sabres, dynamic Kings, much improved Coyotes, tough-and-talented Flyers, lunch pail Predators and albatross Avalanche all buying into their coaches' systems.

My pick is Joel Quennville slightly ahead of Ruff based on team schedules and the task to refocus the young Blackhawks after their long run to the Western Conference Final. Seven wins in a row at the time of writing certainly doesn't hurt his case.

SHAUN SAYS: There is an expression in baseball that "momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher". Well in hockey, a coach is only as good as his starting goalie. Lindy Ruff has a pretty good one in Buffalo, as I just mentioned, and that is why he is my choice for the Jack Adams.

If that weren't enough, he has been coaching the Sabres since 1997-98 and he still manages to get effort out of the Sabres on a nightly basis. Coaches usually have a shelf life, but Ruff has managed to re-invent himself to keep the message fresh.

Honorable Mention: Barry Trotz, Predators; Jacques Lemaire, Devils