NHL Awards Previews

In a few short weeks, Belmont betting enthusiasts also gambling on the NHL will have a chance to place their final wagers on the players they believe will win the NHL awards for the 2010-11 seasons. This year, there are 11 sports betting online awards, for bettors to pick their favorite stars to win. For all intents and purposes, today we will look at the most prolific awards.

Hart Memorial Trophy (Top Player Award) – This year’s Hart Memorial Trophy has three very deserving candidates, in Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis and Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin. The award is given to the player usually with the most points and biggest impact on their team. For all intents and purposes, Daniel Sedin looks to follow in brother Henrik Sedin’s footsteps, as for the second consecutive year, a Sedin brother leads the NHL in points. What’s more, Daniel along with brother Henrik Sedin, have been able to guide the Vancouver Canucks to their first Stanley Cup in nearly 17 years.

Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie Award) – The Vezina Trophy is a little harder to determine this year, as all three goalies nominated for the award, Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators and Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks were essential to how their teams fared this season. On paper, Thomas seems like the obvious choice to win his second Vezina in the last three years. However, if Roberto Luongo is able to guide the Canucks to their first Stanley Cup victory in 17 years, it will be hard to argue that he is undeserving of the award.

Jack Adams Award (Top Coach Award) – In 2010-11 the Jack Adams Award is to be decided between Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators and Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks. Theoretically speaking, many people expect Bylsma to win the award, because the Pittsburgh Penguins made the playoffs without their top two players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, Vigneault led the Canucks to the best record in team history and all the way to the Stanley Cup. In theory, similar to the Hart and Vezina, Vancouver should also win the Jack Adams award.