Quote:
Originally Posted by Regorium
Out of curiousity, who would be nominated for the Norris if such an offensive defenceman award existed?
Regehr? Mitchell? Orpik?
Or are we actually going to agree that offence has some bearing on the quality of a defenceman?
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Offense also has a bearing on the quality of forwards, but there's still an award for best defensive forward.
However, the evolution of Selke shows why my hope will likely never be realized. The Selke used to go relatively unsung shut-down forwards. Guys like Troy Murray, Guy Carbonneau, and John Madden. Now, it goes to the NHL star forward who also happens to have a good defensive game. Why the change? Because the NHL decided that it wants to use the awards to market the star 15-20 players in the league, not the overlooked grinders.
That's why I doubt there will ever be a defensive defenceman award in the NHL. The league doesn't want precious marketing potential being wasted on low-profile players like Regehr, Vlasic, and McDonough.