Tag: News

PHWA reveals 2024 NHL Awards ballots

Posted on | by Frank Seravalli

LAS VEGAS — Since 1967, the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) has been counted on to independently vote on six major NHL Awards, as well as end-of-season All-Star and All-Rookie teams.

For the seventh consecutive year, the PHWA has published the ballot of each individual voter in the interest of full transparency.

“The 2023-24 NHL season was one for the record books, where hockey fans were treated to one of the most hotly debated Hart Trophy races in recent memory,” said PHWA President Frank Seravalli. “Once again, the PHWA delivered with an honest and fair voting process that, in the end, recognized extremely deserving winners.

“Our only job is to get it right. We’re incredibly proud of the countless hours our voters put into their ballots – researching, watching at the rink, and gathering opinions from trusted sources to make sure we get it right. With more attention and scrutiny on our ballots than ever before, we’ve also put more time and thought into the process.”

The PHWA voting contingent this season included 175 members and 21 invited international broadcasters.

Out of 196 ballots distributed, two selected voters did not return a ballot in the allotted time: Jenna Ortiz (Arizona Republic) and Danny Webster (Las Vegas Sun). As per PHWA policy, those members have lost future voting privileges.

There were also procedural errors in the voting process that resulted in some ballots being rejected. Kristen Shilton (ESPN), Kevin McGran (Toronto Star), Simon-Olivier Lorange (La Presse), Liam McHugh (TNT), Chip Alexander (Raleigh News & Observer), Corey Masisak (Denver Post) and Lance Lysowski (Buffalo News) did not make the proper number of required selections, resulting in their All-Star team selections being nullified. Joshua Kloke (The Athletic) and Gunnar Nordstrom (Expressen) did not make the proper number of required selections, resulting in their All-Rookie team selections being nullified.

In total, 196 ballots were distributed and of the 194 that were returned, 194 were counted for trophies, 186 were counted for All-Star teams, and 192 were counted for the All-Rookie team.

Each individual vote can be viewed at the links below:

Hart Memorial Trophy

James Norris Memorial Trophy

Calder Memorial Trophy

Frank J. Selke Trophy

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

2023-24 All-Star Team: Center

2023-24 All-Star Team: Left Wing

2023-24 All-Star Team: Right Wing

2023-24 All-Star Team: Defense

2023-24 All-Star Team: Goaltender

2023-24 All-Rookie Team: Forward

2023-24 All-Rookie Team: Defense

2023-24 All-Rookie Team: Goaltender

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The PHWA wishes to congratulate all 2024 NHL Award winners and finalists on their well-deserved honors.​​

Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid was near unanimous 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy winner

Posted on | by Frank Seravalli

SUNRISE, Fla. — Ballots revealed Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was the near unanimous winner of the 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs, selected by a panel of Professional Hockey Writers Association members on Monday night.

McDavid garnered 16 of a possible 17 first-place votes to become the first skater to win the Conn Smythe in a losing fashion since Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach in 1976. With 42 points in 25 games, McDavid assaulted the record books, posting the most points in a single postseason since Evgeni Malkin’s 36 in 2008-09.

Over the course of the Oilers’ 64-day slog toward Stanley, McDavid broke Wayne Gretzky’s record for most assists (34) in one playoff, became the first player to collect back-to-back four-point games in a Stanley Cup Final, both of which were elimination games, and laid claim to the best era-adjusted playoff run of all-time. He tied for the third-most points in one Stanley Cup Final series despite being held off the scoresheet in Games 6 and 7.

Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers skaters Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling finished second and third in voting, respectively, while Sergei Bobrovsky, Carter Verhaeghe and Edmonton’s Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Stuart Skinner also appeared on ballots.

Barkov, Forsling and Bobrovsky all presented compelling cases for the Conn Smythe, but none were able to truly distinguish himself from his teammates in what was a true ‘team’ effort. McDavid finished 20 points ahead of Barkov in the playoff scoring race.

Monday marked the sixth instance in the 58 times the Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded that a player from the losing team accepted the award. McDavid joined Anaheim’s Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2003), Ron Hextall (1987), Leach (1976), Glenn Hall (1968) and Roger Crozier (1966).

In the interest of full transparency, the PHWA has once again revealed each individual ballot from all 17 voters:

2024 Conn Smythe Trophy Ballots

VoterOutletFirstSecondThird
Jonathan BernierJournal MontréalMcDavidBarkovVerhaeghe
Per BjurmanAftonbladetMcDavidBarkovBobrovsky
Ryan S. ClarkESPNBobrovskyMcDavidBarkov
Josh ClippertonCanadian PressMcDavidBarkovForsling
Luke FoxSportsnetMcDavidBarkovForsling
François GagnonRDSMcDavidBarkovSkinner
Colby GuyPalm Beach PostMcDavidBarkovForsling
Chris JohnstonThe AthleticMcDavidBarkovForsling
Emily KaplanESPNMcDavidBarkovBobrovsky
Pierre LeBrunThe AthleticMcDavidBarkovForsling
Jim MathesonPostmediaMcDavidHymanBouchard
Jordan McPhersonMiami HeraldMcDavidBarkovVerhaeghe
Daniel Nugent-BowmanThe AthleticMcDavidBarkovBouchard
Michael RussoThe AthleticMcDavidBarkovForsling
Frank SeravalliDaily FaceoffMcDavidBarkovForsling
Mark SpectorSportsnetMcDavidBarkovSkinner
Stephen WhynoAssociated PressMcDavidBarkovForsling

Voting Point Totals

Connor McDavid, Edmonton: 83 points
Aleksander Barkov, Florida: 46 points
Gustav Forsling, Florida: 8 points
Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida: 7 points
Zach Hyman, Edmonton: 3 points
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton: 2 points
Stuart Skinner, Edmonton: 2 points
Carter Verhaeghe, Florida: 2 points

Points were awarded on a 5-3-1 basis and the deadline to submit ballots to the NHL occurred with 10 minutes remaining in Game 7.

McKenzie honored with 2015 Elmer Ferguson

Posted on | by mihai | Leave a Comment on McKenzie honored with 2015 Elmer Ferguson

Hockey Hall Of Fame announces NHL Media Awards

Scott Burnside, President of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, and Chuck Kaiton, President of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, announced today that Bob McKenzie will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism and Nick Nickson will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.

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Positional clarifications for voting

Posted on | by mihai | Leave a Comment on Positional clarifications for voting

Attention PHWA members:

Here are five positional clarifications, for those members voting on NHL Awards. When selecting your All-Star teams, vote for the following players at the position listed ONLY:

• Alex Ovechkin, WSH – LW
• Jiri Hudler, CGY – RW
• Dustin Byfuglien, WPG – D
• Rick Nash, NYR – LW
• Nick Foligno, CBJ – RW

Portzline earns APSE honor

Posted on | by mihai | Leave a Comment on Portzline earns APSE honor

Columbus Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline earns first-place award

In the infancy of the 2014-15 season, Aaron Portzline delivered a story that almost seemed impossible. Today, it became an award-winner.

On Nov. 20, 2014, Portzline’s “Blind-sided: Blue Jackets’ Jack Johnson is bankrupt; who led him there is biggest shocker,” rocked the hockey — and sports — world; a hockey player was bankrupt, partially at the hands of his parents.

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Flyers, Stars winners of 2014-15 Dillman Award

Posted on | by mihai | Leave a Comment on Flyers, Stars winners of 2014-15 Dillman Award

Dillman Committee names this season’s top PR staffs.

Zack Hill (center) and the Philadelphia Flyers were named the top PR staff in the Eastern Conference.

The PHWA is proud to announce that the Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers are this season’s recipient of the Dick Dillman Award, given annually to the top PR department in each conference.

The Flyers win ends a two-year streak for Matt Chmura and the Boston Bruins PR department and is Philadelphia’s second Dillman award in four years. The tireless work and constant cooperation of senior director Zack Hill and his staff that includes Joe Siville and Brian Smith in a demanding market earned Philadelphia the recognition of the Dillman committee.

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