Our Rookie is the Best!

Last night’s NHL Awards were… interesting, to put it nicely. With Jay Mohr hosting, I understood there would be some comedic aspects involved, but some of the laughable parts likely weren’t intended to be funny. Take the presentation of the Lady Byng, for example. Two of the Real Housewives of Beverley Hills presented the award (odd thing #1). Everything about their time behind the podium was clearly scripted, which is understandable, as their NHL knowledge is likely not vast. (Which brings up the question of why they were involved at all, but I digress…) After a poorly executed joke about how they would end up in the penalty box given the room full of hockey-playing men, they deferred to the video that listed the nominees and the merit for which they were deserving of the award. When they returned to the mic to announce the winner, they pronounced his name as dumb American-like as possible, saying “Mar-tin Saynt Loo-iss” instead of the French Canadian way it is really pronounced “Mar-tahn Sahnt Loo-ee.” Now, they both said it this way, and I would expect better from the NHL that they wouldn’t throw presenters out onto the stage without briefing them on the proper pronunciation of all 3 names they might have to say on live tv, so I assume (and hope) they mispronounced it purposely as a joke.

Either way, between antics like that and the random stage performance by an artist I could not identify, it felt more like a cheesy, lesser awards show than the prestigious honor it truly is to receive these awards. The friend I was watching with and I were discussing these exact things as we watched. We suggested bringing back former players, coaches, GMs, anyone actually related to the sport, to make the presentations instead. Hell, we even thought having some forms of contests for fans to win the opportunity to present would have been better. The way it was done very much so cheapened the event, and I am curious to know how many others agree. Maybe it comes from having a close understanding of hockey now and therefore a better grasp on the hard work and dedication that goes into the sport, great athletic talent the players have, and respect for those who have played before them, but still. One would think the NHL of all organizations would understand that.

All that aside, the best part of the evening was the presentation of the Calder Trophy for the NHL Rookie of the Year. We Caniacs had been campaigning pretty hard all season once we realized what a “rookie phenom,” as he was called by the media, we had on our hands. It took very little time for anyone watching his performance during the first half of the season to realize how great of a player he already is and the potential he has for the future of his career. His interview on the red carpet was adorable. He carried himself well through the whole evening, as he typically does. He had such poise and humility as he went through his list of thank yous (speech not written either, which was also impressive) that you can’t help but respect the boy. The competition was tough with several other great and deserving rookies in the nominee pool, but our rookie had a fantastic first season and was definitely worthy of the honor he received. So proud of the baby! Congratulations, Jeff!