In the first part of this exercise, I covered off seven of the NHL’s trophies, namely the Hart, Art Ross, Norris, Selkie Lady Byng, Vezina and the Jennings trophies. I proposed new (modern names) for the trophies to keep up to date with the ever – changing demographics of the fan base and the future fan base that Gary Bettman and the owners of the 32 NHL teams hope to attract. 

In today’s article I am going to tackle the Conn Smythe, Calder, Jack Adams, King Clancy, Maurice Richard and the Ted Lindsay trophies as well as a suggestion for a new trophy.

Here We Go……

Jack Adams Trophy

This trophy is given to the best NHL coach of the season named in honour of Jack Adams. Who the heck is Jack Adams you ask? 

Well, he was a Hall of Fame player, and long-time Coach and General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings. This trophy was first awarded at the conclusion of the 1973-74 regular season. 

Why not rename this award to honor the memory of Pat Burns, the only coach to win it 3 times and with 3 different teams. Pat won it while he was the coach of Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins. What better way to honor the past of the NHL than by bringing back 50% of the original 6 teams. 

Calder Memorial Trophy

This trophy is awarded to the best player in his first year in the NHL. It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL.  The Calder Trophy was first presented at the conclusion of the 1936-37 NHL season.

Interestingly, until his death in 1943, Calder actually purchased a new trophy each year to present to the winner. Since then, a permanent trophy is presented annually.

This is a tough one as a player can only win it once…when he is a rookie. So at the risk of being to simple, I suggest we re name it “Rookie of the Year”  Why not call it for what it is? Remember the saying …” keep it simple stupid “

 Conn Smythe Trophy

This trophy is awarded annually to the most valuable player to his team in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.  It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and was donated by Maple Leaf Gardens Inc in 1964. 

The Stanley Cup Playoffs! 4 Best of 7 playoff rounds, 16 games needed to win. 2 months of basically lacing up the skates every other day and this, after playing a grueling 82 regular season. This Trophy deserves a refresh. A new name. How about the Patrick Roy trophy?  (by the way….yes I am biased) 

He won it 3 times, twice with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and 1993 and once with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. To be able to lead his team 3 times to the Stanley Cup in a 16 year span is a testament to not only his greatness but also his longevity. No wonder why his nickname is “Saint Patrick”

King Clancy Memorial Trophy

This trophy was donated to the NHL by the Board of Governors in 1988 to honor the late Francis M. “King” Clancy. He is a former Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs player, as well as an NHL referee, coach and general manager. He basically did it all in the NHL.

The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is presented to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.

Oddly enough, Henrick Sedin is the only repeat winner..so let’s name this award after him

The last two trophies that I am going to cover today we are going to leave as is. Why?  Well….read on!!

Ted Lindsay Award

Here is my precedent for all the name changes I am proposing. The NHL has already done it, so why not do it again and again and again with the majority of the other trophies. First awarded in 1971, this trophy was re titled from the Lester B Pearson Award in 2010. It is a sister award to the Hart Trophy voted on by the players for the most outstanding player in the regular season. 

Ted Lindsay is one of the most important players in NHL history. Although he had a great career statistical wise, he is better known for what he accomplished off the ice and one great tradition he started. 

After the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1950, upon receiving Stanley as captain, he (for the first time ever by a player) hoisted the Cup over his head and skated around the rink, starting one of the coolest traditions in pro sports. Ted later said he did it so the fans could get a better view of the Stanley Cup.

Today’s NHL players owe Ted Lindsay for their lucrative paydays. Recognizing that player’s salaries and pensions were underfunded by the owners and that players had no choice but to do ” as told ” by the owners, he started the long process of forming what is today known as the National Hockey League Players Association ( NHLPA ) – A player’s union. 

There is zero chance that I am going to suggest a name change of this trophy. In my world as commissioner of the NHL, the great late Ted Lindsay’s name stays put!! 

Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy

The NHL’s most recent trophy awarded to the NHL player who has scored the most goals in a season. Donated to the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens in 1999.  Named after Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, the first NHL player to score 50 goals. He did it in 50 games during the 1944-45 season. He  was also the first player to score 500 career goals

Finnish superstar Teemu Selanne was the first winner for the1998 -99 season scoring 47 goals in 75 games. Obviously, there will not be a name change to this trophy. 

New Trophy – Rod Langway Trophy 

The best defenceman trophy, the Jame Norris Trophy ..oops sorry the Bobby Orr Trophy ( as discussed in part 1 of this series ) seems to concentrate on offence. Call me crazy, isn’t a defenceman supposed to concentrate on defence? Well yes they are, however for some reason defenceman who can put the points up seem to win this award more often than not. There have been a few exceptions over the years, one being Rod Langway….a true defensive minded d man to play the game.

Let’s end the debate once and for all about which type of defenceman should win the best d man trophy. Why not have two trophies, one for offence and one for defence. 

Unfortunately,  I wasn’t able to get my favourite players growing up ( Guy Lafleur, Bobby Clarke and Darryl Sittler ) names onto a trophy. Give me some time, after all I have only been commissioner for a day.

The Stanley cup is the most famous professional sports championship trophy according to most lists that I have seen. Here is hoping that the NHL makes an effort to give the rest of their trophies a chance to be as famous, at least with just hockey fans. 

By Jeff Stanzel  

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images