QUICK: NHL Awards

I'm not going to tell you much about this since I'm quite short of time. I may be just like you - hockey isn't my only hobby, but definitely the number one if I had a hobby list. Anyway, hockey journalists and stars and eyes of milions of hockey fans are turning to Las Vegas, where the NHL Awards Show will be held. I'll give you just a quick, short look into my opinions on some trophies.

Hart Memorial Trophy
My winner: Martin St. Louis - guy with real lion heart, excellent passer and playmaker, who amazingly fits into one line with Steven Stamkos, who's a natural goal-scorer. I just can't imagine the Tampa Bay Lightning getting this far without him. Even if they had Crosby, because I don't think that such chemistry between two guys will be ever created again. (I said two guys, not twins.) Well, to be honest, I think that he'd be challenging Mario Lemieux for the Best Quebecois Player of the NHL History Award, if such an award existed.

Vezina Trophy
My winner: Tim Thomas - his story is really amazing, isn't it? There's nothing to explain, everyone knows why Thomas, who's on the best way to become one of the best goalies of the decade, if he isn't yet. Shutting the Canucks out twice in the Stanley Cup Finals - Canucks, with the greatest attack in the league - is what seemed to be pretty impossible before I've seen him doing it.

Calder Memorial Trophy
My winner: Brad Marchand - I know he's not nominated, but anyway, I had to pick him. His importance for the Bruins in the SCF was really close to Thomas' importance. He was one of the guys who stopped the Sedins from scoring, all those little bumps, punches, cross-checks were huge. Marchand also did a great job scoring that beautiful shorthanded goal and throwing three bodies in blue jerseys around, which gained him a lot of respect.

James Norris Memorial Trophy
My winner: Zdeno Chara - meanwhile Shea Weber is going to win this award in few years and Nicklas Lidström is returning for another season, Zdeno Chara has set a new record. Yes, he hoisted the Cup to the biggest height ever. No, actual reason for this is the same as in the previous two cases. He was vital for the Bruins stopping the Sedins. The war is won and with Lidström gaining another chance to win the trophy, I would honor the winners first.

Jack Adams Award
My winner: Dan Bylsma - this young coach's name's alternative spelling could be Hopesma, because the team who has him on their bench always has a hope. Penguins' style of play is built on having Crosby healthy and in the lineup (of course, there is nothing like healthy and scratched in his case), but after the young superstar got injured by both Steckel and Hedman, he was leading the team to the playoffs. There's one big But - with a significant help of Marc-André Fleury, but still with a huge impact on the team's success. I really regret not having Guy Boucher in this nomination, he would challenge Hopesma tightly.

Frank J. Selke Trophy
My winner: Ryan Kesler - I'm not gonna tell much about this, just that he was impressive all season and I hope that he isn't that much of an embellisher as some of the guys on his team (Sedins, Lapierre,...) because that would really ruin his reputation.

I EXPECT THE TEXT ABOVE TO POSSESS CONTAIN MISTAKES. IF YOU FIND ONE (OR MORE), DON'T HESITATE TO TELL ME, PLEASE. I ALWAYS WANT TO IMPROVE MY ENGLISH SKILLS.

My take on the Stanley Cup Finals

Tomorrow might be the last game of this hockey seasons. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals might always be. Last year, Chicago's Patrick Kane decided it with a great goal in OT, this year, I expect the Bruins to take the valuable victory and go back to Vancouver.

One of the factors in this series are the fans. Both teams have a great core of fans that are hungry for success, especially for the Stanley Cup. Boston, unlike Vancouver, knows how great it is to win it. And, it's just a matter of time, when the Bruins capture it again. It can be this year. For no surprise, of course. Before the season started, I did my personal research of who has the biggest chance to get to the Finals. I rarely find someone who believes me, but the result was Vancouver-Boston, with Boston ending as victors. It might be just a coincidence, but there is a lot of reasons why to think about those teams when you say Stanley Cup.

Everyone knows that the teams have two of the greatest goalies in the game today. Luongo has won the Olympics with Canada and wants to add another great trophy to his list of successes. Thomas wants to prove that he's not the type of goalie that falls when you go all in. Both netminders have been heroes for their respective teams and whichever team wins it, it is completely guaranteed, that a goalie will be the winner of Conn Smythe. As of now, I would give the trophy to Thomas, because he didn't need to give up so many times to lose. Luongo really didn't prove his qualities in the games at TD Garden.

Both teams have wonderful defences, although Vancouver's one is very deep. Many experts criticize Keith Ballard for his performance in game 4 in Boston and it's really neccessary to say, that Chris Tanev did much better than the American defender. But Ballard is a great hard-working defender, who deserves credit at least for his great hit on Jamie McGinn, which was one of the turning points in San Jose series. Boston's defence is better than Canucks' defence, because they have one thing. Ability to stop Sedins. Just like Weber's defence in Nashville or Keith and Seabrook for Chicago, they have Chara and Seidenberg, who know how to play physical and how to stop danglers like Sedins.

And finally, here are the attacks. Sedinds are really erased in this series and it's bad for Canucks that even Burrows and Kesler were turned into agitated stars, who can't concentrate on their game well. Plus, there is not much to say about Canucks' offence, since nothing like an average offence has been created from Vancouver side yet. When I turn my head on Boston side, I see one guy stepping out of the line. His name is Brad Marchand and did well playing in the TD Garden, doing whatever it took to stop Sedins, scoring amazing goals and playing impossibly well for a rookie. If only Calder Trophy nominees had been announced after the play-offs. Then, we saw a turning point in Raymond's hit on Marchand, which can have similar impact like last year's Byfuglien's hit on Pronger.

My suggestion for Boston? Bring Raymond Bourque to the building, cover rebounding Canucks, get Marchand hitting them hard early and I think Rich Peverley will score the game-winner. No, enough with predictions, give a lot of credit to David Krejci, too, and, now seriously, this series is like fans=sixth skater.