Thursday night, the National Hockey League began handing out their annual awards with the Jack Adams Award. Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy finished tied for 11th in the voting, which won was by Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Tonight, during Game 3 of the Semifinal Round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL will announce the winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy, “giving to the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.”
Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron is one of the three finalists for the trophy, which he was won four times already in his career. Bergeron won the Selke Trophy in 2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2016-17. He is looking to become the first five-time winner of the award. He is currently tied with Bob Gainey for the most Selke Trophies.
Bruins captain going up against a pair of good two-way players.
Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers and Mark Stone of the Golden Knights are the other two finalists.
A month ago, our Caylee Allard broke down Bergeron’s season and his stats to be a finalist for the Selke. Can’t argue that her breakdown makes a very strong case for Bergeron to become the first five-time Selke Trophy winner.
While Barkov and Stone both had good seasons for their respective teams, it’s hard to argue that Bergeron should not be the favorite. The first-year captain has been the leader on and off the ice for the Black and Gold, but also has the support of his peers with the recent NHLPA Awards.
Bergeron still has one more year remaining on his contract and what happens following the 2021-22 season remains to be seen. Whether or not he wins the award tonight, there is no doubt that he is still the best two-way centers in the league.