Two teams remain, at 18 skaters and two goalies apiece.
Here are the players who have led the way so far...
Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: the single most dominant player on the ice in almost every game he's suited up for in these playoffs. It's not even close. There's Rask, then there's a list we have to make of the rest.
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues: oh, he's for real, for now. As long as the season doesn't end, neither will his fairy tale.
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins: urgh. Next.
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues: the best skater on the Blues in these payoffs. He saved the team's behinds many a time when Binnington was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins: played without mentor Zdeno Chara in the deciding game against the Carolina Hurricanes and showed everyone that he was actually the guy making the back end work on the best defense still standing.
Jaden Schwartz, St. Louis Blues: he's about to break Brett Hull's team record for single-season playoff goals. Then again, Hull never even made it to the Conference Finals in St. Louis...
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awards. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Friday, May 10, 2019
NHL Playoffs: Second Round MVPs
The picture's getting clearer as to who means what to which team in these playoffs. Here are the most valuable players so far...
Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: reminiscent of recent dominating playoff performances in front of the crease, in particular those of former teammate Tim Thomas (2011) and Jonathan Quick (2012 and 2014).
Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks: the word "clutch" doesn't even do these guys justice. A ton of points at the most opportune moments led a team of perennial underachievers to victories they probably didn't deserve.
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes: possibly the best performance by a defenseman in the 2019 playoffs, Slavin is showing part-time hockey enthusiasts just what fanatics and Canes fans have been enjoying for years, which is the best current-day imitation of Nicklas Lidstrom-esque perfection.
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues: I always hesitate to put a rookie goalie in the mix, because as we've seen with Cam Ward, a state of grace can be fleeting. But without his daily heroics, the Blues never get through Ben Bishop and the Dallas Stars.
Let the third round begin!
Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: reminiscent of recent dominating playoff performances in front of the crease, in particular those of former teammate Tim Thomas (2011) and Jonathan Quick (2012 and 2014).
Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks: the word "clutch" doesn't even do these guys justice. A ton of points at the most opportune moments led a team of perennial underachievers to victories they probably didn't deserve.
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes: possibly the best performance by a defenseman in the 2019 playoffs, Slavin is showing part-time hockey enthusiasts just what fanatics and Canes fans have been enjoying for years, which is the best current-day imitation of Nicklas Lidstrom-esque perfection.
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues: I always hesitate to put a rookie goalie in the mix, because as we've seen with Cam Ward, a state of grace can be fleeting. But without his daily heroics, the Blues never get through Ben Bishop and the Dallas Stars.
Let the third round begin!
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Ice Cube Doesn't Care About Oscar Snub
My favourite quote from Ice Cube pertaining to the fact that Straight Outta Compton "only" got nominated for best screenplay at this year's Oscars is this one: "You can't boycott something you never went to". The rest of his pearls of wisdom are here, including descriptions on how fan and critical reaction was more important than a statuette.
In my mind, there isn't really a snub because it's not like it would have won Best Picture - it wasn't. It was the best biopic of the year, sure, by a long stretch, but biopics by their very definition usually sacrifice artistry and imagination in the name of telling the most accurate story or character personalization possible.
Was F. Gary Gray's (of Friday fame) work as a director worthy of being compared to that of Alejandro G. Innaritu (The Revenant), or even Ridley Scott (The Martian) or Steven Spielberg (Bridge Of Spies), who weren't even nominated themselves? No, absolutely not.
And though he was terrific as Eazy-E, Jason Mitchell's performance wasn't in the same league as that of Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), who, himself, was leagues ahead of Matt Damon (The Martian), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo) and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) this year. Or even of Johnny Depp, whose performance in Black Mass was ignored, probably exactly for the sake of not letting voters hesitate between that performance and DiCaprio's.
There weren't many female parts in the film, let alone any stand-outs that deserved to take on the likes of Cate Blanchett (Carol), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy) or Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) for Best Actress, nor to challenge Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), or Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) in a supporting role.
Which leaves Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr. playing his father, who may have had a shot against Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), and Sylvester Stallone (Creed). Hardy could also have been nominated for Best Actor and Supporting Actor for the same film - British picture Legend. So the younger Cube is the only one who can be deemed a snub - and his own father's like, "fuck it".
Which didn't stop the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to over-react and change its whole voting system to "increase diversity", which could very well prove to be a huge mistake later when less deserving films get awards just so that every shade of the colour and rainbow palette are represented.
Oh, wait, it's the fucking Oscars, the institution that gave Denzel Washington a trophy for the piece of shit that was Training Day instead of Malcolm X; the institution that gave Russell Crowe an award for wearing a skirt in Gladiator instead of his tour-de-force performance in The Insider; the institution that waited until Scent Of A Woman to give Al Pacino the recognition he derserved; the institution that thought Titanic was the best film of 1997 and that Forrest Gump was better in any way than Pulp Fiction in 1994. Oh, yeah, the fucking Oscars. Not rewarding the best piece of art is what they do (see: Birdman last year instead of Boyhood).
They were NEVER about rewarding the best of the indusry, but always about rewarding The Industry.
Cube knows. Cube speaks wisdom. Listen to Cube. Still, it'll be funny to hear Chris Rock tear the Academy a new one for 10 minutes.
In my mind, there isn't really a snub because it's not like it would have won Best Picture - it wasn't. It was the best biopic of the year, sure, by a long stretch, but biopics by their very definition usually sacrifice artistry and imagination in the name of telling the most accurate story or character personalization possible.
Was F. Gary Gray's (of Friday fame) work as a director worthy of being compared to that of Alejandro G. Innaritu (The Revenant), or even Ridley Scott (The Martian) or Steven Spielberg (Bridge Of Spies), who weren't even nominated themselves? No, absolutely not.
And though he was terrific as Eazy-E, Jason Mitchell's performance wasn't in the same league as that of Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), who, himself, was leagues ahead of Matt Damon (The Martian), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo) and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) this year. Or even of Johnny Depp, whose performance in Black Mass was ignored, probably exactly for the sake of not letting voters hesitate between that performance and DiCaprio's.
There weren't many female parts in the film, let alone any stand-outs that deserved to take on the likes of Cate Blanchett (Carol), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy) or Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) for Best Actress, nor to challenge Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), or Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) in a supporting role.
Which leaves Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr. playing his father, who may have had a shot against Tom Hardy (The Revenant), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), and Sylvester Stallone (Creed). Hardy could also have been nominated for Best Actor and Supporting Actor for the same film - British picture Legend. So the younger Cube is the only one who can be deemed a snub - and his own father's like, "fuck it".
Which didn't stop the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to over-react and change its whole voting system to "increase diversity", which could very well prove to be a huge mistake later when less deserving films get awards just so that every shade of the colour and rainbow palette are represented.
Oh, wait, it's the fucking Oscars, the institution that gave Denzel Washington a trophy for the piece of shit that was Training Day instead of Malcolm X; the institution that gave Russell Crowe an award for wearing a skirt in Gladiator instead of his tour-de-force performance in The Insider; the institution that waited until Scent Of A Woman to give Al Pacino the recognition he derserved; the institution that thought Titanic was the best film of 1997 and that Forrest Gump was better in any way than Pulp Fiction in 1994. Oh, yeah, the fucking Oscars. Not rewarding the best piece of art is what they do (see: Birdman last year instead of Boyhood).
They were NEVER about rewarding the best of the indusry, but always about rewarding The Industry.
Cube knows. Cube speaks wisdom. Listen to Cube. Still, it'll be funny to hear Chris Rock tear the Academy a new one for 10 minutes.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
2014-15 NHL Season Preview: The Awards
And so I went with my Eastern Conference and Western Conference predictions... might as well dig myself an even deeper hole and try to predict the various award winners.
President's Cup (regular season champs): Chicago Blackhawks
Prince Of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference Cup finalists): New York Islanders
Clarence-Campbell Trophy (Western Conference Cup finalists): Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup Champions: Los Angeles Kings
Conn Smythe (playoff MVP): Jaroslav Halak
Art Ross (points scoring leader): Alex Ovechkin
Rocket Richard (leading goal scorer): Alex Ovechkin
Hart (MVP voted by the press): Steven Stamkos
Ted Lindsay (MVP voted by players): Steven Stamkos
Vezina (top goalie): Ben Bishop
Calder (best rookie): Johnny Gaudreau
Lady Byng (most sportsmanlike): Martin St-Louis
Norris (best defenseman): Shea Weber
Bill Masterton (perseverance/comeback): Nathan Horton
Frank Selke (best defensive forward): Tomas Plekanec
Jack Adams (top coach): Lindy Ruff
King Clancy (humanitarian): P.K. Subban
Mark Messier (best leader): John Tavares
GM: Garth Snow
President's Cup (regular season champs): Chicago Blackhawks
Prince Of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference Cup finalists): New York Islanders
Clarence-Campbell Trophy (Western Conference Cup finalists): Los Angeles Kings
Stanley Cup Champions: Los Angeles Kings
Conn Smythe (playoff MVP): Jaroslav Halak
Art Ross (points scoring leader): Alex Ovechkin
Rocket Richard (leading goal scorer): Alex Ovechkin
Hart (MVP voted by the press): Steven Stamkos
Ted Lindsay (MVP voted by players): Steven Stamkos
Vezina (top goalie): Ben Bishop
Calder (best rookie): Johnny Gaudreau
Lady Byng (most sportsmanlike): Martin St-Louis
Norris (best defenseman): Shea Weber
Bill Masterton (perseverance/comeback): Nathan Horton
Frank Selke (best defensive forward): Tomas Plekanec
Jack Adams (top coach): Lindy Ruff
King Clancy (humanitarian): P.K. Subban
Mark Messier (best leader): John Tavares
GM: Garth Snow
Friday, October 4, 2013
2013-14 NHL Season Preview: The Awards
And so I went with my Eastern Conference and Western Conference predictions... might as well dig myself an even deeper hole and try to predict the various award winners.
President's Cup (regular season champs): Pittsburgh Penguins
Prince Of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference Cup finalists): New York Rangers
Clarence-Campbell Trophy (Western Conference Cup finalists): St. Louis Blues
Stanley Cup Champions: St. Louis Blues
Conn Smythe (playoff MVP): Jaroslav Halak
Art Ross (points scoring leader): Evgeni Malkin
Rocket Richard (leading goal scorer): Steven Stamkos
Hart (MVP voted by the press):Steven Stamkos
Ted Lindsay (MVP voted by players): Alex Ovechkin
Vezina (top goalie): Jonathan Quick
Calder (best rookie): Jacob Trouba
Lady Byng (most sportsmanlike): Jason Pominville
Norris (best defenseman): Shea Weber
Bill Masterton (perseverance/comeback): Erik Karlsson
Frank Selke (best defensive forward): Tomas Plekanec
Jack Adams (top coach): Patrick Roy
King Clancy (humanitarian): Alexandre Burrows
Mark Messier (best leader): Henrik Zetterberg
GM: Bryan Murray
President's Cup (regular season champs): Pittsburgh Penguins
Prince Of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference Cup finalists): New York Rangers
Clarence-Campbell Trophy (Western Conference Cup finalists): St. Louis Blues
Stanley Cup Champions: St. Louis Blues
Conn Smythe (playoff MVP): Jaroslav Halak
Art Ross (points scoring leader): Evgeni Malkin
Rocket Richard (leading goal scorer): Steven Stamkos
Hart (MVP voted by the press):Steven Stamkos
Ted Lindsay (MVP voted by players): Alex Ovechkin
Vezina (top goalie): Jonathan Quick
Calder (best rookie): Jacob Trouba
Lady Byng (most sportsmanlike): Jason Pominville
Norris (best defenseman): Shea Weber
Bill Masterton (perseverance/comeback): Erik Karlsson
Frank Selke (best defensive forward): Tomas Plekanec
Jack Adams (top coach): Patrick Roy
King Clancy (humanitarian): Alexandre Burrows
Mark Messier (best leader): Henrik Zetterberg
GM: Bryan Murray
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
NHL Hardware Season
It's that time of year again, where sportcasters cast their votes for the NHL's best players. Again this year, my choices will differ greatly from others', especially those in the mass media.
Here's a look:
What are yours?
Here's a look:
HART TROPHY (MVP award, to the player judged most valuable to his team)
1-Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
2-Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
3-Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils
4-Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
5-Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
VÉZINA TROPHY (best goalie)
1-Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins
2-Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild
3-Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
4-Evgeny Nabokov, San Jose Sharks
5-Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
NORRIS TROPHY (best defenseman)
1-Niklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
2-Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks
3-Andrei Markov, Montréal Canadiens
4-Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
5-Mike Green, Washington Capitals
CALDER TROPHY (best rookie)
1-Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
2-Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks
3-Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
4-Patrick Berglund, St.Louis Blues
5-Luke Schenn, Toronto Maple Leafs
JACK ADAMS TROPHY (best coach)
1-Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
2-Todd McLellan, San Jose Sharks
3-Andy Murray, St.Louis Blues
4-Paul Maurice, Carolina Hurricanes
5-Jacques Lemaire, Minnesota Wild
FRANK SELKE TROPHY (best defensive forward)
1-Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
2-Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
3-Samuel Pahlsson, Chicago Black Hawks
4-Maxim Lapierre, Montréal Canadiens
5-Sergei Fedorov, Washington Capitals
LADY BING TROPHY (most gentlemanly, least penalized)
1-Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils
2-Andrew Ladd, Chicago Black Hawks
3-Chris Drury, New York Rangers
4-Simon Gagné, Philadelphia Flyers
5-Loui Eriksson, Dallas Stars
What are yours?
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