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Lady Byng Leader
by PuckStopsHere on 11/28/09 at 11:02 AM ET
Comments (2)
As the season progresses, I like to track the player who is leading the race for the major NHL trophies. One award I have not written about yet this season is the Lady Byng Trophy which is given to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. At this point in the season, I think the leader is Brad Richards of the Dallas Stars. Richards is tied for fifth in scoring in the league with 30 points and has only two penalty minutes to show for his sportsmanlike game. Richards is a former Lady Byng Trophy winner. He won the award in 2004.
In the early part of Richards’s career he appeared to be on a Hall of Fame track. In the 2003/04 season he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, in the Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup run, along with his Lady Byng. In the season following the lockout he scored a career best 91 points and represented Canada in the 2006 Olympics. Things have not gone so well beyond that point.
Richards point totals dropped annually for the next three years. Last season, he was held to 48 points. He was traded from Tampa Bay to Dallas. This was believed to be a move that was prompted by incoming owner Oren Koules who had not (yet) completed his purchase of the team. Brad Richards was among the highest paid players in the game. He has a five year $39 million contract that expires at the end of the 2010/11 season. Tampa received a package including goaltender Mike Smith in return for Richards, but it appears that Dallas got the better part of the deal.
It appears that Richards was content with a new contract and lost some of his drive. There were other problems including injury and misuse by former Tampa coach John Tortorella that also contributed. Brad Richards appears to have found the top level of his game again.
Richards is an interesting case from a Hall of Fame perspective. In 2004 at age 24, he looked to be on track to be inducted if his career continued along its current path. It didn’t. His last three years have knocked him off the track. However, should he manage to maintain his high scoring rate this season (and into the future) and win the Lady Byng Trophy (his second Byng and third major NHL award), it is possible thing can get back on track. Richards is 28 years old and has 578 career NHL points. If he can put together a handful of top seasons (which is not impossible), those totals could jump well past 1000 career points and start to join the career levels that are common among Hall of Famers.
Brad Richards appears to have re-found the top level of his game. He is playing very well this season. He is among the top scorers in the NHL and is the early Lady Byng leader.
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Tags: Brad+Richards, Dallas+Stars,
Comments
To be completely clear, my award picks (both during the season and after it is over) are not who I think will win, but rather who I think should win. In some cases, there is a discrepancy between the two - though I would not argue this is one of them.
However, the argument that Richards won the Byng in the past and it therefore more likely to get voters favor this year, is one of who will win and not one of who should win. The NHL awards are based on this season alone (with a few exceptions like the Masterton) and past performance should not be taken into account (although we know it often is).
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 11/28/09 at 02:34 PM ET
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Good choice. He’s also won this award previously and sometimes that gives contenders an edge, IMO.
There are some other candidates as well, like Patrick Marleau in San Jose, and Marion Gaborik in New York (if can stay healthy). Also, Tomas Kaberle on defense for the Leafs.
Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 11/28/09 at 01:59 PM ET