Plenty have staked legitimate claims to MVP honours. But only one will take it. Step forward, Jonathan Toews.
For a shortened season, the list of Hart Trophy candidates sure is long. It speaks to the quality of play this year that so many have put in MVP-worthy performances. But there can only be one winner—and remember, the Hart isn’t awarded to the best player in the NHL, but rather to the player deemed the most valuable to his team. There’s a difference.
Picking the clear-cut winner who fits that bill is about as easy as naming a Stanley Cup champ on the eve of the playoffs; many have a shot at it, and no one’s a sure thing.
For starters, there’s Sidney Crosby, who dominated the league with 56 points through 36 games. Then he broke his jaw at the end of March and was shut down for the rest of the regular season.
But does missing a quarter of the abbreviated season take him out of the hunt? And after Crosby went down, the Penguins didn’t miss a beat—so how indispensable was he?
Still, the Kid had performed at such a clip that it took until the final week of the season—the 46th game in fact—before Martin St. Louis passed him in the scoring race and Steven Stamkos pulled even.
Actually, you can make a case for those two as well: St. Louis, as good a playmaker as there is, and the goal-scoring wizard Stamkos. Each deserves Hart consideration, but Tampa not making the playoffs is a major strike against them.
And how about Alexander Ovechkin? The Hart winner in 2008 and 09, he fell out of “best player” discussions in recent years, and—like his team—was dreadful in the early going this season. Through 16 games, Ovie had just five goals and five assists, and was minus-8—a comparable “absence” to Crosby’s, arguably. Then the light bulb flicked on and the old Ovechkin returned for a 21-game stretch good for 23 goals, 11 assists and the Capitals clinching the Southeast Division.
John Tavares is in the mix, too. The 22-year-old centre finished third in regular-season goal scoring, but his contribution to his team goes well beyond that: The Islanders won a mere handful of games when Tavares didn’t register a point but were dominant when he did. Thanks to him, they reached the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Beyond those safe bets there are the dark horses, like Ryan Getzlaf, who had a terrific year leading the Anaheim Ducks in scoring; and Chicago’s Patrick Kane, who had a strong bounce-back season, again becoming a human highlight reel. Then there are the long shots, like Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, amongst the save-percentage leaders and the Blue Jackets’ only reason for hope; and Andrew Ladd was a fine captain who might be in serious contention had Winnipeg made the post-season.
A long and formidable list indeed. But the trophy only goes to one man. And, for my money, that man should be Jonathan Toews.
The Chicago Blackhawks had an incredible season and the biggest reason for it was the leadership of Toews. He may have finished behind teammate Kane in scoring, but he was their best all-round player, their captain and their leader.
Toews was amongst the league’s scoring and points leaders. He was a tremendous plus-minus player, scored key goals, played with a physical edge, was outstanding on faceoffs and important to the special teams. Plus, according to his coaches, Toews’s influence was vital to the success of rookie Brandon Saad, who used this shortened season to establish himself as a Calder Trophy candidate.
In short, the man they call Captain Serious was the league’s best this year, the most valuable player on the NHL’s best regular-season team.
This story originally appeared in Sportsnet magazine. Subscribe here.
