My jaw dropped to the concrete and through the iron grate to the sewer, just like a federal political promise, when I heard Roberto Luongo would not receive the Vezina Trophy for the regular 2007 NHL season.
Then I searched the official wording for awarding the trophy. My jaw slackened further yet, through the outflow.
Vezina Trophy:
\\\'The Vezina Trophy is an annual award given to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position as voted by the general managers of all NHL clubs\\\'.
My jaw slipped into the dark, frigid expanse of the vast Pacific.
What century am I in? I wondered aloud as I bared witness to Roberto being robbed. It was him this time, whereas all season Bobby Lu, did all the robbing.
Additionally, Roberto could be awarded an assist on his Coach\\\'s, Jack Adam\\\'s award, if ever there were such a thing.
Now Martin Brodeur, who was awarded the 2007 Vezina Trophy, certainly is a quality goaltender and always has been. He will go down in NHL history as one of the greatest of all time, if he isn\\\'t already considered that. He will be perpetually great in time memoriam. A direct comparison between Luongo and Brodeur\\\'s abilities is merely null; a virtual stalemate, therefore an argument is moot, both are very deserving. Let\\\'s just put that behind us.
Now NHL teams are scattered about the continent however, there is a greater quantity of teams located in the area within a stone\\\'s throw to where Brodeur has played his entire career, currently New Jersey. Maybe not a stone\\\'s throw, but certainly a hop, skip and a backwards crossover. Therefore more general managers, entrusted with this decision, are privileged with Brodeur\\\'s display of skills, at a much higher frequency than say they are to west coast teams, such as the Vancouver Canucks who Roberto plays for.
Ever since the first big NHL expansion in 1970, where western based teams joined the NHL, the recipients of the Vezina Trophy have been located primarily in the east. Save for (pun, groan) Ed Belfour who was with Chicago, which is geographically located quite east, there is Kiprusoff from Calgary and in 1988 Grant Fuhr in Edmonton, the only western winners.
Now how is it that players vote for some awards, general managers vote on the Vezina, then members of the press on others? I think a more fair process would have all general managers, players, coaches, trainers and members of the press vote on all awards. Open the floodgates, heck let Don Cherry vote!
I\\\'ll vote for that.
Caveat being, as a player or team staff you must vote for a candidate located outside of your division or perhaps outside your conference.
Or change the wording, to the way the MVP allocation is written, but add specific positions: \\\'The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually \\\"to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team\\\".
Let\\\'s face facts, the Conn Smythe, Vezina, James Norris, Hart Memorial and Calder are all MVP awards. Should the wording not be consistent?
Calder for rookie, Vezina for goalie, Norris for defenseman, Gretzky (new award) for forward and Hart Memorial for general MVP.
Open note to Gary Bettman:
This one\\\'s a freebie, it\\\'s on me. By the way, thanks for all the expansion, Hamilton Predators will be hot. Oh and the Anaheim Ducks are not the first west coast team to win the Stanley Cup, but it makes for a nice story. The Vancouver Millionaires and the Victoria Cougars have also won, once each. The Patrick\\\'s who owned the Cougars, are the name sake to the old \\\'Patrick Division\\\'.
I pick my jaw up and check the calendar for the current century and thank my maker that I am living in a just and correct hockey society, now that I freely expressed myself.