Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf believes there is an Eastern Conference bias when it comes to voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, as the National Hockey League’s most valuable player.
The three nominees in 2013 were each from Eastern Conference teams – Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and John Tavares of the New York Islanders – and that didn’t surprise Getzlaf.
“We were pretty well aware that it was going to be all East this year. That’s just the way it is,” Getzlaf told ESPN’s Craig Custance.
“The only time the media in the East sees anyone in the West is when we play them,” added Getzlaf, who felt Chicago Blackhawk’s Jonathan Toews deserved a nomination. “You’re not going to see our games, the media, staying up to one or two in the morning to watch.”
Getzlaf, who turned 28 Friday, had himself a solid regular season — with 49 points in 44 games — and some thought the Ducks’ leader would have garnered some consideration as well.
“Hart Trophy — that’s the most valuable player for your team, right? I think Getzy did everything he was asked and even more,” Getzlaf’s teammate Teemu Selanne said. “Obviously, we’re always going to get screwed.”
The trophy is given annually to the “player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”
Over the last 20 season, the Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded to a player that finished the season with an Eastern Conference team 13 times and a Western Conference player seven times.
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