Here's his suggested changes:
- Hart Trophy becomes Gordie Howe Trophy
- Art Ross Trophy becomes Wayne Gretzky Trophy
- Norris Trophy becomes Bobby Orr Trophy
- Vezina Trophy becomes Jacques Plante Trophy
- Calder Trophy becomes Mario Lemieux Trophy
- Lady Byng Trophy becomes Jean Beliveau Trophy
- Selke Trophy becomes Bob Gainey Trophy
- Conn Smythe Trophy becomes Patrick Roy Trophy
- Jack Adams Trophy becomes Scotty Bowman Trophy
- King Clancy Trophy becomes Saku Koivu Trophy, upon retirement
No offence to Dr. David Hart or Marie Evelyn Moreton (aka Lady Byng), but, when we vote for - and honour - the game’s best, shouldn’t we also recognize those who were the game’s best?
Admittedly you will not find one fan in attendance in tonight's games that can tell you who Frank Calder was or what James Norris did. But they all played important roles in NHL history. And, by the way, Clancy, Adams and Vezina are amongst the all time greats.
I do not like the idea of messing with history. Yeah, perhaps the people who the trophies are named after are long forgotten. But if we renamed these trophies, why shouldn't we rename the Stanley Cup. With the exception of Lady Byng, he did less for hockey than anyone else named on hockey silverware.
Renaming the Stanley Cup would be a silly idea. So would be renaming the other trophies.
4 comments:
That would be the worst idea ever. I still shake my head when I look up at the rafters at the Joe, and see "Central Division Champions", and "Western Conference Champions" banners up next to the old yellowed "Norris Division Champions" and "Campbell Conference Champions" banners.
I'm with you. Leave the names alone. Who's to say after the next hundred and some odd years that anyone will know who Gordy Howe was, or who Gretzky was?
Why name the Conn Smyth the Patrick Roy? What if Brodeur passes his records? Do we change the name again?
These trophies are for two groups of people. The players, and the fans. The two groups of people with the greatest respect for the traditions of the game, and the two groups less likely than anyone to want to change these names.
Hopefully Bettman is out of office before he gets the chance to "explore" this deplorable act.
There's an extremely heavy emphasis on Canadien greats on the renamed trophies. Sorry, but Saku Koivu shouldn't have a trophy named after him. And why Jean Beliveau for Lady Byng? Beliveau never won the Lady Byng. Not once. Frank Boucher won it so often that they gave him the trophy to keep. Patrick Roy won the Conn Smythe three times, but there's not that much separation between Roy and Bernie Parent (2) or Mario Lemieux (2). An interesting idea, but a poorly executed plan.
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