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2010 PSW Norris Trophy

April 23rd 2011 13:32
There were many defensemen that had great seasons this year, and it is extremely difficult for me to pick just one of them. Keith Yandle, Lubomir Visnovsky, Zdeno Chara, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Letang, Dustin Byfuglien, Shea Weber, and Christian Ehrhoff were outstanding in the 2010-2011 NHL season. My pick will be given to the guy that was a great defender and a great points-scorer as well.

Detroit Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom is one of the best players of All-Time, and he has still been incredible as he has gotten older. We all know him for his leadership and stingy defense, and the captain has won the Norris Trophy six times in his career. The 40 year old defenseman recently was named one of the nominees for the Lady Byng trophy, and this is a testament to Lidstrom's sportsmanship. Loui Eriksson and Marty St. Louis are also in the running for the award that Lidstrom has been nominated for six times in his career.


There will be a street 30 miles from Detroit named in Lidstrom's honor. He was second behind Visnovsky in points scored for defensemen with 62. However, Lidstrom was the better player in defense; obviously the main duty for a defenseman. Lidstrom showed his workhose mentality and importance to his team by playing in all 82 games. It's yet another reason why he is a leader for the Wings.

Nicklas Lidstrom is one of the best players in the league on the power play. He is one of the main reasons as to why the Red Wings are tied with the Lightning for the team with the fourth best power play percentage in the league. His efficient offense, great passing, superb special teams ability, smart defense, and key leadership make him my Norris Trophy winner of this year by the slightest edge over Lubomir Visnovsky.

Nicklas Lidstrom
2010 PSW Norris Trophy Winner
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2010 PSW Jack Adams Trophy

April 19th 2011 14:56
Each year, the Jack Adams Trophy is given to the best NHL coach that season. I am going to give my own Jack Adams award for this website based on what happened during the 2010-2011 season. Barry Trotz, Dave Tippett, Dan Bylsma, and Guy Boucher were my four finalists. My final winner was a coach that showed why he is mentioned among the best in the league with another job well done in guiding his team through the playoffs in the midst of a myriad of set-backs that would leave most coaches overwhelmed.

Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Dan Bylsma

Most of what went into this pick actually wasn't Pittsburgh bias. The best and third best player in the league went down with serious injuries and were done for the season. For those of you that are a little bit lost, I'm talking about Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Bylsma did what any great coach would do; he improvised.

The Penguins were a flashy offensive juggernaut with Crosby and Malkin, but Bylsma successfully transformed his team into a top defensive squad. They had the best penalty kill in the league, while also allowing the 6th least goals in the NHL. Although Crosby did play during the season enough to accumulate 32 goals and was absolutely amazing when he was playing, losing your best player- and probably the best player in the league- for half of the season is crushing. Star center Jordan Staal was another key player that missed a significant chunk of the season.

Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury made this team a tough defensive team. Letang was one of the best defensemen this year, and Fleury was one of the best goaltenders and the team's MVP. Fleury kept everything going and showed why he is a great player. Players like Alexei Kovalev and James Neal were great after they were acquired in trades by the Penguins thanks to Bylsma's ability to get them acclimated.

Dan Bylsma isn't great just because he coaches a great team. Only the good coaches can still maintain a high level of play even after key injuries- like Mike McCarthy. The Penguins are currently ahead of a tough Tampa Bay Lightning team- whose coach is Boucher- in the first round of the playoffs.
Dan Bylsma
2010 PSW Jack Adams Winner
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3/2011 Defenseman Rankings

March 2nd 2011 16:17
It is time to rank the best defensemen in hockey. To my hockey readers, I hope this list isn't too terrible as I am just starting to get into hockey. My hockey knowledge is pretty low, but I will try my best to put together a decent looking list.

1. Nicklas Lidstrom
2. Zdeno Chara
3. Dan Boyle
4. Sergei Gonchar
5. Dustin Byfuglien
6. Mike Green
7. Chris Pronger
8. Duncan Keith
9. Kris Letang
10. Brian Rafalski
11. Shea Weber
12. Alex Goligoski
13. Christian Ehrhoff
14. Lubomir Visnovsky
15. Tomas Kaberle
16. Keith Yandle
17. James Wisniewski
18. John-Michael Liles
19. Jack Johnson
20. Drew Doughty
21. Niklas Kronwall
22. Bryan McCabe
23. Kimmo Timonen
24. Joni Pitkanen
25. Mark Giordano
26. Tobias Enstrom
27. Brent Seabrook
28. Ryan Suter
29. Jay Bouwmeester
30. Marek Zidlicky
Lubomir Visnovsky
14 Defenseman
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