Did 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)

ARTHUR:
A month ago, Greg Wyshynski listed five reasons Corey Perry would not be receiving the Puck Daddy scribe's vote for the Hart. Amongst the quintet of complaints was the number of minor penalties that the Anaheim forward took on the way to his 104 PIM total.

It would be simplistic to counter that argument by noting that Corey Perry draws a large number of penalties for the Ducks (though at 1.2 per 60 minutes, he does). Instead, I would simply build on that counter argument and point out that 1/4 of Perry's 2-minute infractions are Roughing minors.

By simply pointing to his minor penalties, you seem to imply that Perry is some flat footed forward with a propensity for hurting his team with a Hook every time he can't keep up with his check. In reality, Perry is a forward who plays the game in the trenches (whether or not he's actually stationed in the trenches at the time). He hits you first, and he hits you back.

Are 10 Roughing minors a good thing? A positive? Well, no. Neither are his two Charging penalties and his one Boarding call. But if Perry is truly effective playing the game on the edge, then maybe the decision to vote for him should be based on more than visiting the Ducks' Penalties stat page of NHL.com and sorting by 'Minors.'

And that's why I feel Perry's consideration for the Ted Lindsay Award is so much more important than his nomination for the Hart. He may have a history of minor penalties, front of the net exchanges like the video above, runs at goaltenders and a pretty inexcusable suspension, but the Players' Association MVP could be the one place where your rap sheet isn't determinative of your value. After all, Alex Ovechkin took home his third consecutive MVP despite multiple suspensions and a couple of knee on knee hits that escaped suspension.

So, maybe it's actually more meaningful to be called valuable and effective by the players that actually play against you and have some firsthand knowledge of how valuable and effective you are. Mind blowing concept, I know.

ARTHUR:

The designation "Living Legend" feels commonplace, but that's only because we live in interesting times. With the exception of Bobby Hull, Dino Ciccarelli and Jari Kurri, the members of The 600 Club (NHLers to score 600 goals but not 700 or more) have all left the league within the last decade. That's 8 of the 14 greatest goal scorers of all time who have left the game under the watch of a single generation. Tonight, they welcome Teemu Selanne into their ranks, and if he retires this summer, they may welcome him into their company.

If it is indeed Teemu's last season, where will his final ovation rank amongst the farewell tours of the 600 goal scorers who have left the game since 2004?

Continue reading this post »