[News] Ekblad wins Calder. Gaudreau finishes 3rd

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Regorium

I don't get why people hate Stone or something.

Stone had the same amount of points as Gaudreau. Plays on the PK, lead the entire NHL in takeaways (as garbage of a stat as that is).

He (along with Hammond) carried the Sens into the playoffs, as much as Gaudreau pushed us over the top.

If Gaudreau wasn't on the Flames, I would vote Stone 8 times out of 10. From a completely unbiased perspective, Stone was better than Gaudreau in every possible metric except for "hype" and "star power".

There is no conspiracy here.

Johnny Gaudreau was a 4th round pick and if any player had "hype" affixed to them it was Ekblad. As far as star power goes I go agree that Johnny had the most star power but that's because he is a highlight reel player and when's the last time a player that had star power wasn't actually a really good hockey player? Do you think that Crosby and Ovechkin's star power came to them because of their looks? Nobody is going to buy tickets to see Stone but they would (and did out east) to see Johnny. There's a really good reason for that and it's because the kid is an electrifying player.

[FireFly]

Originally Posted by T@T

If Gaudreau wasn't up for the Calder it's likely the Flames wouldn't have been a playoff team and thus Hartley doesn't sniff the Adams.

IMHO, you have that quite backwards. If Hartley wasn't the coach he is, Gaudreau doesn't have the season he did and therefore, doesn't sniff the Calder.

Hartley took a ragtag group of kids and turned them into something special. All of them. Yes, Johnny made his linemates look good at times but Hartley had this team playing lights out all season.

There's a reason Hartley won in a landslide while the Calder was a tight race.

[Meers]

Eastern bias in the NHL Awards.

Western bias in the Stanley Cup finals.

Seems like a fair trade off, because only one trophy matters at the end.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

If anyone out east watched the Flames at all, it would have been a walk away win for Gaudreau.

How many times did you watch Ekblad play?

Gaudreau was hyped by the media all season. Spotlight interviews in every city the Flames played. Made the highlight reels most nights. Can't blame this one on lack of exposure. Ekblad simply had a great season for a rookie defenceman. And yes, age and position factor into it. Always have.

[Yamer]

In the light of day, there really is no shame in losing to Ekblad. My only qualm is that the Panthers, who are comparable roster-wise (maybe a bit better) to the Flames, could not make the playoffs in an equally weak division on the back of Ekblad's efforts and contributions. Both he and Gaudreau made players around him better, but Johnny did it to a point that was a major influence in getting the Flames into 3rd in their division.

The real sting is seeing Gaudreau finish behind Stone in voting. Mark Stone, who flipped a switch at the same time as the rest of the team and surged for a third of the season. No doubt that he contributed to Ottawa making their way into the playoffs (especially that final clinching game with 2 goals), but I think it establishes a sad precedence that a third of the work occurring under the spotlight resonates more than a season long effort by one of the more talented and creative players in the league.

I still think Johnny did more with less, and did it more consistently, and thus should have been the Calder recipient last night. If age is a factor, so should be size and previous experience. Either way I know the Flames have something special in Johnny Hockey, and in the long run this recognition will pale in comparison to the accolades he and the Flames should be contending for in the not so distant future.

[polak]

Originally Posted by polak

lol Stone will have 50 points next season when he cant replicate his fluke run and Johnny will have 82+. We have seen that Johnny creates the offense for thr Flames and was the main focus of the entire NHLs defence when they played the Flames all season. No one knew who Stone was until March.

This will be one we look back at and laugh. Remember when Andrew Raycroft won?

Ugh. Don't drink and post.

Although I do still think Stone will fade. The lack of consistency in his season is why.

Fine with Ekblad winning.

[_Q_]

One of the top forwards on arguably the best line in hockey on a team that qualified for the playoffs vs. Being a top defenceman on a mediocre team.

In my opinion, it should have been a landslide win for Johnny.

[Hack&Lube]

I think what happened here is similar to what happens in political elections.

Those writers that would have voted for a forward ending up splitting the vote between Gaudreau and Stone, therefore they came in behind Ekblad.

[Red Slinger]

IIRC...The last time a Flames winger lost the Calder to a defenseman on an eastern team it worked out pretty well for us in the long run.

[AcGold]

Ekblad wins out of sympathy, they looked at Ottawa and Florida thinking wow those teams are screwed where Calgary looks to be in good shape for a decade.