AT: This was a fantastic surprise that sent goosebumps running down my arms. With everything we know about how Doug has helped the team both when healthy and injured on the bench helping Capuano as well as his contributions on Long Island, we all know this was a very well deserved award. The trophy, presented by the US Army and brought out by a platoon of about 20 soldiers most likely coming from Nellis Air Force Base, some of whom rappelled down from the rafters, was given to Doug in such an awesome way. Good for the NHL for organizing that. As for Doug's acceptance speech, what more can you ask for from this guy? He talked up Long Island pretty much the entire speech, spoke of it as an amazing place to live (which was much needed after Jay Mohr's crack at the Isles attendance in his monologue), was extremely grateful for Wang and Snow's hospitality and graciousness through his time so far with the Islanders and generally put the Islanders in an extremely positive light. I still can't stop smiling.
CH: What a great surprise this was. You pretty much touched on it all. Weight didn't have to do anything as far as selling the team, but he did. That's just classic Weight though - humble as ever. The moment with the troops was fantastic as well. Some may find it tacky and cheesy, but why be cynical about this? It meant a lot to Doug, and was a cool moment to watch unfold. Great job all around. Congrats to Doug, well deserved!
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| New York Islanders |
AT: Michael Grabner unfortunately lost the Calder to Jeff Skinner, something almost everyone expected. Just the fact that he got the nomination was fantastic for him and let's hope he's a nominee for the Hart trophy one day. Well deserved for Skinner who was the youngest of the three candidates and absolutely exploded offensively. Can't wait to see what he does for this Carolina team in the future.
CH: Islander fans seem to be very disappointed by this, but realistically Skinner was the right and obvious choice here. The age argument shouldn't matter, but it does. Plus, he led all rookies in points as well. Have to give him credit where it's due - congratulations to Skinner on a great achievement. But a lot to take from this from Grabner's perspective. He scored 34 goals last season and got rewarded with a trip to Las Vegas. Definitely a season to build on for Michael.
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| New York Islanders |
AT: As for the other awards, congratulations to Dan Bylsma on winning the Jack Adams award, Ryan Kesler on winning the Selke, Lidstrom on winning the Norris (at 41!), and the rest of the winners tonight. All nominations have been well deserved and all winners even more so.
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