January 6, 2010
Mid-Season Hardware
TFP Columnist Rick Sadowski hands out the awards to the top players in the first half of the season.

[DENVER, CO] -- Hard to believe, but we've reached the halfway portion of the 2009-10 season, along with the end of the 2009 calendar year.

It's been an exciting, hard-to-predict NHL campaign so far, with teams like Atlanta, Colorado, Los Angeles, Nashville and Phoenix playing much better than anticipated, while clubs such as Anaheim and Detroit haven't performed nearly as well as expected.

Then again, there is plenty of hockey to be played and much to anticipate, including the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Things can change pretty quickly, but here is one man's opinion on how the major awards stack up based on what's taken place in the first half of the season:

Hart Trophy: Alex Ovechkin, Washington.
When in doubt, hand it to the NHL's best player. Ovie is the league's most entertaining player, to go along with his mean streak and engaging personality. The Capitals would still be pretty good without him, but probably not a Stanley Cup contender. Others to consider: New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, San Jose's Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley, and Vancouver' Henrik Sedin.

Norris Trophy: Mike Green, Washington.
And isn't it strange that Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom isn't even a candidate? Green is an offensive force and he isn't a slouch at the defensive end, either. Keeping pucks from entering the net can be difficult considering the Capitals' high-octane style of play. Atlanta's Tobias Enstrom, Boston's Zdeno Chara, Chicago's Duncan Keith, Edmonton's Lubomir Visnovsky, Los Angeles' Drew Doughty, Philadelphia's Chris Pronger and San Jose's Dan Boyle earn honorable mention.

Calder Trophy: Tyler Myers, Buffalo.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound defenseman plays nearly 23 minutes per game and has been outstanding at both ends of the ice. This looks like one of the best rookie crops in years, so let's not overlook Boston's Tuukka Rask, Colorado's Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly, Dallas' Jamie Benn, New Jersey's Niclas Bergfors, the New York Islanders' John Tavares, Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman and Washington's Semyon Varlamov.

Vezina Trophy: Ryan Miller, Buffalo.
The Sabres' stopper ranks first or second in goals-against average and save percentage while playing for a team that owns one of the league's worst offenses. Sure, Buffalo plays a defensive style, but Miller still faces more than 30 shots per game. Props to Chicago's Cristobal Huet, New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, Phoenix's Ilya Bryzgalov and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov.

Lady Byng Trophy: Patrick Marleau, San Jose.
He's responded to losing his "C" with an excellent first half and gets the nod over teammate Joe Thornton, Dallas' Brad Richards, Los Angeles' Anze Kopitar, New Jersey's Zach Parise and Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis.

Selke Trophy: Kris Versteeg, Chicago.
This is the most difficult trophy to figure out. How does one measure defensive ability? Winning faceoffs? Killing penalties? Keeping the opponents' top scorers in check? It's a combination of all three, but most people (including media members) don't pay a whole lot of attention to this stuff. Versteeg flies under the radar, but he's a solid two-way player and an integral part of a Blackhawks team that doesn't give up a whole lot. Can't dismiss the usual suspects: Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Minnesota's Mikko Koivu, New Jersey's Jay Pandolfo, Philadelphia's Mike Richards and Vancouver's Ryan Kesler.

Jack Adams Trophy: Joe Sacco, Colorado.
The Avalanche has vaulted from worst in the Northwest Division to first. Heck, this team finished dead last in the Western Conference last season and 28th overall in the NHL. I doubt even Sacco could have envisioned this kind of improvement without the retired Joe Sakic and with a handful of rookies and second-year players on the roster. Buffalo's Lindy Ruff, Nashville's Barry Trotz and Phoenix's Dave Tippett also deserve recognition.

Rick Sadowski is a columnist for TheFourthPeriod.com and the Colorado correspondent for The Fourth Period Magazine. He has covered the NHL since 1981, most recently for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. He writes for several publications and web sites, including NHL.com.