MVPerry.
by Jen Neale on Jun 22, 2011 8:59 PM PDT
in The Cup & Other Awards
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PrintDid hell freeze over? Did the Four Horsemen show up? Corey Perry wins the Hart trophy for the NHL MVP. (I haven't left the Palms yet, but it is quite possible that the Rapture has happened and I have been left behind.)
What an effing night. As I type this, I have barely stopped shaking as I try to put into words what Perry's victory means to Ducks fans. Like Perry when accepting his award, I am somewhat at a loss for words.
Since coming to play for the big club, Perry has taken a backseat to the bigger names on his line. In 2007, it was Penner and Getzlaf. Now it's Getzlaf and Ryan. Perry has been nothing but conciliatory throughout the entire season that he wouldn't have the success that he did without his teammates. I think it's finally time that Perry stop thanking Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan, and they start thanking him.
The Hart Trophy is about the player that made the largest contribution to his team. The Ducks would not have made the playoffs without Corey Perry. Bobby Ryan put up another solid 30 goal season, but he was seriously streaky. No one can explain what happened to Ryan Getzlaf (excluding the facial injury). He wasn't the Getzy we are used to or the Captain we expected him to be. Those three together are the most feared top line in hockey, but there were only flashes of greatness throughout the season, not the consistent and expected domination. More often than he should have, Corey Perry carried Getzlaf and Ryan.
I can't help but be genuinely happy for Corey. Coming into this season, the focus was on everyone, BUT Perry. Scott Neidermayer had retired. Teemu Selanne was returning. Cam Fowler anointed the Golden Child. Ryan Getzlaf had been given the "C". Bobby Ryan signed the five year contract. Perhaps this suited the usually aloof Perry.
Even after winning the highest award given to a single player, the spotlight was turned away from Perry and on to the opponent he just beat. One of the reporters in the post-award media scrum (I can call it that, as I'm a credentialed member of the media) asked Perry not about winning the award, but about his own doubt in his ability to take this award away from Daniel Sedin. Unreal.
This is a great night for Corey Perry, the Anaheim Ducks, and all Ducks' fans. Perry has gone by many names (most of which cannot be repeated) but I like this one the best - MVP.
(P.S. Video of the press conference will come later. My laptop and I are having issues)
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COREY PERRY
HART MEMORIAL TROPHY
Q. Looked like you got choked up there?
COREY PERRY: You didn’t know what to expect coming in and all of the sudden you hear your name and it’s — it surprised me and, you know, I have to give credit to my teammates, I got a lot of family and friends here so it’s special.
Q. Did you ever see yourself playing at this level when you were younger?
COREY PERRY: You go out and try to do the same things that got you here and try to do the same things day in, day out and see where it takes you. It’s kind of — it’s got me to where I want to be and hopefully there is more to come.
Q. Does this motivate you for next season?
COREY PERRY: You always want to build on the year before and I think it’s a steady increase and hopefully it keeps increasing. You don’t want to take a step backwards, you want to keep moving forward and that’s what I’m trying to do.
Q. Any plans for the trophy?
COREY PERRY: No, no plans yet.
Q. Have you thought about the other players who have won this trophy?
COREY PERRY: Well, I mean, I haven’t sat down and looked at it, but obviously you do hear, and you do know who is on the list. On that trophy it’s a pretty remarkable list. Like I said, it’s going to take some time to sink in and we’ll move on from there.
Q. Have you ever been to the Hall of Fame?
COREY PERRY: Yep, I’ve been there a couple of times and you see all these trophies in there and all of the sudden you’re holding one of them. It’s pretty cool, it’s like a dream come true, I guess.
Q. How did you handle the expectation of the award?
COREY PERRY: I mean, you don’t come in expecting it. You come in and whatever happens, happens, I guess. You look at the seasons the other two had, and the only guy to break 100 points in the league in scoring, you never know what to expect. You just come in and have fun with it, I guess.
Q. What did you think when you didn’t win the Lindsay Award?
COREY PERRY: That’s for the players. They have a vote, so I didn’t think about it too much. Sat back, enjoyed the show and had fun.
Q. You’ve got a lot of family and friends here, how many?
COREY PERRY: There is probably a total of 30, 35 of us. I got close relatives and then my grandma is here and my brother and all our buddies I played with. It’s fun to share this with them.
Q. What are your feelings right now?
COREY PERRY: I’m an emotional person and it’s like going back when we won the Stanley Cup, I cried after that, you know, it’s just personal.
Q. Did you practice your speech?
COREY PERRY: I knew what I wanted to say and what I wanted to get across, and hopefully it came out all right
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jun 22, 2011 9:44 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Jen, did you ask any of these questions?
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jun 22, 2011 9:44 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Nope.
They left out the question about Sedin. Interesting.
"I'm not a lady. I'm a DUCK!" - Connie Moreau, D2: Mighty Ducks
Writer for http://www.anaheimcalling.com
Ooh, can’t wait for the video then
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on Jun 22, 2011 9:54 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Great write-up.
But I feel as though Bobby Ryan has always been viewed as the ‘weak link’ of the RPG line. Maybe this is a more recent development.
He gets all the attention with his highlight reel goals.
by pearljamfan80 on Jun 22, 2011 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions
That's possible.
I like all three, though, and I don’t want to see that line break up (unless we can acquire Brooks Laich).
And I think that a lot of people have associated Getzlaf and Perry with the ’03 Draft/Stanley Cup, etc. Ryan has a silver medal, but he was picked 2nd overall in the Sidney Crosby Draft, and still has a lot of maturing to do.
by light_the_lamp on Jun 23, 2011 5:56 AM PDT up reply actions
I wanted to trade him for Marc Staal.
"Thank you very much fans and let’s go for the next game together!"
— Lubomir Visnovsky
I rec’d that shit.
Me either. I like all the goals…Even if goalies got wise to hies breaking down the left wing technique.
"Thank you very much fans and let’s go for the next game together!"
— Lubomir Visnovsky
I rec’d that shit.
by Steven Hida on Jun 23, 2011 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
I think it’s a little unfair to ask where Getzlaf went. I know he didn’t have the year we all would have hoped for, but he did produce at over a point per game pace.
Personally, I thought Perry was the best player on that line when the season began. I even talked to Arthur about him getting the C when everyone was talking about it being Getzlaf or Koivu. I think I even said on a few threads here. Still, there’s no way in hell I thought he’d do this well. He had an amazing season.
One of the things I loved about Perry’s season is that he played great hockey at both ends of the ice. His play on the penalty kill was almost as impressive as his ability to find ways to score goals. A total team player and very much deserving of the MVP.
Looks like uber-d*uchebag Mike Richards will be joining
fellow uber-d*uchebag Dustin Brown in LA. Anyone want to put an over/under on how many headshots are thrown this year?
"That might've been a little push, but that was a major flop. That would make Vlade Divac very proud." - Jerry Reynolds
I’m guessing there will be a suspension or two for them.
by Daniel AC on Jun 23, 2011 3:04 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Haha.
But all joking aside, how can Philly even trade their two cornerstones? That would be like Bob trading both Getzlaf and Perry…
"That might've been a little push, but that was a major flop. That would make Vlade Divac very proud." - Jerry Reynolds
When you really think about the state of the Flyers,
you can’t help but think the Pronger for Lupul/Sbisa deal triggered all of this. The contract that Pronger was given after he was traded, handcuffed Philly leading them to make these two trades, and then try and sign Bryz.
In the end, Richards/Brown/Kopitar may keep us from winning a division in the next five years. Contracts given to two ex-Ducks may have screwed us, whattya know…
"That might've been a little push, but that was a major flop. That would make Vlade Divac very proud." - Jerry Reynolds
That's an interesting observation
Although, I don’t think the Kings will keep us from winning the division for the next 5 years. Yes, they just got much better, but they still have Penner.
I just hope this jump starts Murray into making some actual improvements to the team this offseason.
I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell
That’s certainly a solid step toward improvement. I really hope Murray won’t just make one move and expect the kids to step in and have an immediate impact.
I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell
My shopping list for the summer would probably just be Laich, a defensive forward and a healthy Hiller or the necessary insurance. Unless the Kings want to move Doughty to pay Mike Richards. Then I’m in on that.
by Daniel AC on Jun 23, 2011 5:16 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
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