Bruins, Datsyuk Look To Hit Jackpot In Vegas

It's been just 6 days since the Pittsburgh Penguins won their 3rd Stanley Cup in franchise history when they beat the Detroit Red Wings in a phenomenal Game 7. The NHL off-season moves fast, and sometimes too fast when you look where we already are: the eve of the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas. 2009 marks the first time that the award ceremony has been moved from the annual location in downtown Toronto to the City of Sin. The 2009 Awards Ceremony has also put the limelight on new and interesting faces on the rise in the NHL.

The race for the Calder Memorial Trophy was led by one amazing goaltender out of Columbus, Steve Mason. The 21 year old 'tender out of Oakville, Ontario went 33-20-7 with a 2.29 GAA and a league leading 10 shut-outs. Opposing Mason for the Calder are wingers Bobby Ryan and Kris Versteeg. Versteeg, who was obtained from Boston in a 2006-07 (now regrettable) trade where the Bruins acquired just Brandon Bochenski in exchange for Versteeg has had a more than solid season for the 'Hawks. Versteeg scored 22 goals along with 31 assists and finished with a +15 in his first full NHL season. In Anaheim, the potential of the Ducks 2005 first round selection is just beginning to become reality as Bobby Ryan put together an incredibly strong season despite his journey beginning in the AHL. Ryan went on to score 31 goals in just 64 games for Anaheim and became a serious power-play weapon for the Ducks push to the playoffs. Despite the note-worthy playoff performances of both Versteeg and Ryan, you can't look at the numbers Mason posted as a rookie and not be impressed. When all is said and done, Steve Mason will join the likes of Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito as Calder Trophy-winning goaltenders. My Pick: Steve Mason.

The Nicklas Lidstrom Memorial Trophy, I mean the James Norris Memorial Trophy is given to the NHL player who demonstrates the best play as a blue-liner. Lidstrom, a 6-time winner of the Norris has dominated the competition to say the least, however this year's race may be the tightest Lidstrom has ever competed in. Attempting to knock Lidstrom down are two Eastern Conference defensemen; Capitals d-man and mohawk fan Mike Green and Boston captain Zdeno Chara. Along with setting a new NHL record for the hardest slap-shot during the All-Star Weekend in Montreal, Chara is coming off a strong season where he finished with 50 points and a +23. In Washington, Green set an NHL record when he scored in 8 consecutive games for the Capitals and finished with 31 goals, including 18 powerplay tallies. Despite the reputation of Lidstrom and Green's offensive talent, this trophy's heading back to Boston as Zdeno Chara will join the likes of legendary Boston defensemen such as Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque as he'll bring home the Norris. My Pick: Zdeno Chara.

The Lady Byng Trophy, named after the wife of at-the-time Canada General Governor is awarded to the player who expresses the most "gentlemanly" conduct in the game. This year's nominee's are Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Devils winger Zach Parise and Tampa's Marty St. Louis. My Pick: Zach Parise

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is simply put, the NHL's perseverance award. Cancer survivors such as Jason Blake, Phil Kessel and Saku Koivu have all taken the trophy home in recent years and the awarding of the Trophy is in my opinion, a two-man race. Despite the longevity of Chris Chelios' career, he really wasn't plagued by any injuries or had to over-come anything to find himself in the press box for 44 games this season. This brings it down to Steve Sullivan of the Nashville Predators and Richard Zednik, who both came back from serious injuries to return to the game they love. Sullivan was forced to miss all the 2007-08 campaign due to major back surgery and his return to Nashville was more than welcome this year as he registered 32 points in 41 games for the Preds. Then there's Richard Zednik, who's life was in considerable danger last year when he caught a skate in the jugular and needed to be rushed to a local hospital. My Pick: Steve Sullivan.

The Vezina Trophy is in easy terms: the ultimate award for a goaltender in the National Hockey League. When Martin Brodeur went down in November, the chase for the Vezina blew open. Emerging from this pack as a front runner and favorite was Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Thomas went 36-11-7 and led the NHL in both GAA and SV%. Opposing him is Columbus phenom Steve Mason (33-20-7) and Wild netminder Niklas Backstrom (37-24-8). Despite Backstrom's anchoring of the Wild and Mason's NHL-leading 10 shutout's, this one's all Thomas. My Pick: Tim Thomas.

The Lester B. Pearson trophy goes towards the NHL player who is considered "most outstanding" by the members of the National Hockey League Players Association. The nominee's are Pittsburgh Penguins and Mrs. Malkin's soup junkie Evgeni Malkin, Caps winger Alex Ovechkin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk. For me, the choice is simple. Malkin's numbers are just undeniable. My Pick: Evgeni Malkin.

The Jack Adams Trophy is the NHL's form of a Coach of the Year award. This year's nominee's include Sharks coach Todd McLellan, Bruins coach Claude Julien and Blues bench-boss Andy Murray. McLellan coached the San Jose Sharks to their President's Trophy in their 18 year history and were seemingly favorites to capture the Stanley Cup but failed to get by the 8th seeded Anaheim Ducks in the 1st round. In Julien's two years with the Bruins, he's brought them from 13th to 8th, and then from 8th to 1st and has done nothing but help the development and get the full potential out of players such as David Krejci, Phil Kessel, Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas. Behind bench in St. Louis, Murray worked wonders with essentially nothing. The Blues lost their best defensemen Erik Johnson before the season even began and lost top winger Paul Kariya in the first leg of the season but somehow found a way to sneak into the NHL Playoffs with a team effort. My Pick: Andy Murray.

The NHL Foundation Award recognizes the charity efforts of players within their community. This year's nominees are Columbus captain Rick Nash, Kings forward Dustin Brown and Habs leading goal scorer Alex Kovalev. My Pick: Alex Kovalev.

The Frank Selke Trophy is awarded to the forward who excels in the defensive aspects of the game and this year's nominees include two fresh faces: Flyers captain Mike Richards and Canucks center Ryan Kesler. While these two emerging forwards in the NHL look to capture their first Selke, current holder Pavel Datsyuk is looking to bring home the trophy for a 2nd straight season. My Pick: Pavel Datsyuk.

Undoubtedly, the biggest trophy at tonight's festivities in Vegas is the Hart Memorial Trophy. The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player voted to be the most valuable to his team and this year's contest includes three Russian superstars. Defending the Hart Trophy is current holder Alexander Ovechkin who is coming off yet another strong season in the nation's capital where he scored 109 points in 79 games. Opposing him is 2nd time nominee Pens superstar Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk. Despite the strong season of both Datsyuk and Malkin, they are under nearly as much pressure as A.O due to their supporting cast. Ovechkin is without a doubt, the most valuable player to the Washington Capitals and in my opinion, the NHL. My Pick: Alexander Ovechkin.