Loui Eriksson joins Patrice Bergeron For NHL Award Honors
Well, it looks like that Patrice Bergeron won’t be the only member of the Boston Bruins who could win some hardware at the NHL Awards this June. Yesterday, Bruins forward Loui Eriksson was named a finalist for the 2016 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The Lady Byng Trophy is awarded annually “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”
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Eriksson certainly has the playing ability down. The 30-year forward had a great season overall for the Black and Gold. Loui Eriksson had a thirty goal season in Boston, good enough for second on the team. He was also tied for second in overall scoring for the B’s with 63 points. He was a solid winger for the Bruins, spending a majority of the season on the top-six, finding some of his best game play with Bergeron and Brad Marchand this season.
He also lived up to the principle of gentlemanly conduct as well. He was the only Bruin on the team to play in all 82 games, earning just 12 minutes in penalties for the entire season. That’s rather impressive for a player that brought a more profound physical presence to his game this season.
“It is a great honor to be considered for the Lady Byng Trophy, an award that has been won by some of the best players of all time,” said Eriksson. “There are many deserving candidates so to be named one of the finalists with Anze Kopitar and Aleksander Barkov is very exciting for me. Thank you to my teammates and the coaching staff and I appreciate all those who voted.”
The Bruins are known for hard-hitting physical play. They’re also known not to have many winners of the Lady Byng in their ranks (even though Bergeron should be a contender as well). The last member of the Bruins to win the Lady Byng Trophy was Rick Middleton in 1981-82. (So, it’s been a little while.) The other nominees this year are Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings (who will end up second in the Selke vote behind Bergeron this year) and Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers.
Bergeron and Eriksson will find out if they’ve won when the NHL Awards are announced June 22 in Las Vegas.