If the NHL had a Finals MVP like bball - who would the past winners be?

[tinyzombies]

If the NHL had a Finals MVP:
1916 - Didier Pitre or Vezina
1924 - Howie Morenz
1930 - Hainsworth? Leduc?
1931 - Johnny Gagnon
1944 - Toe Blake
1946 - Elmer Lach
1953 - Maurice Richard
1956 - Jean Beliveau
1957 - Maurice Richard
1958 - Maurice Richard
1959 - Ralph Backstrom
1960 - Henri Richard
1961 - Glenn Hall or Pilote
1962 - Mahovlich or Armstrong
1963 - Dave Keon
1964 - Bathgate, Mahovlich or Armstrong?
1965 - Jean Beliveau
1966 - Gump Worsley
1967 - Terry Sawchuk
1968 - Gump Worsley
1969 - Dick Duff or Vachon?
1970 - John Bucyk
1971 - Ken Dryden
1972 - Bobby Orr
1973 - Yvan Cournoyer
1974 - Bernie Parent
1975 - Bernie Parent
1976 - Guy Lafleur
1977 - Guy Lafleur
1978 - Larry Robinson
1979 - Bob Gainey
1980 - Mike Bossy or Potvin
1981 - Butch Goring
1982 - Mike Bossy
1983 - Duane Sutter?
1984 - Mark Messier
1985 - Wayne Gretzky
1986 - Patrick Roy
1987 - Grant Fuhr or Gretz?
1988 - Wayne Gretzky
1989 - Doug Gilmour or Al?
1990 - Bill Ranford
1991 - Mario Lemieux
1992 - Mario Lemieux
1993 - Patrick Roy
1994 - Brian Leetch
1995: Scott Stevens or Claude?
1996 - Patrick Roy
1997 - Sergei Fedorov or Vernon?
1998 - Steve Yzerman
1999 - Mike Modano
2000 - Jason Arnott
2001 - Joe Sakic
2002 - Dominik Hasek
2003 - Scott Niedermayer
2004 - Martin St. Louis
2005 - None
2006 - Cam Ward
2007 - Andy McDonald?
2008 - Henrik Zetterberg
2009 - Evgeni Malkin
2010 - Duncan Keith
2011 - Tim Thomas
2012 - Jonathan Quick
2013 - Dave Bolland or Crawford
2014 - Jonathan Quick or Justin Williams
2015 - Corey Crawford
2016 - Kris Letang
2017 - Matt Murray
2018 - Braden Holtby
2019 - Ryan O’Reilly
2020 - Brayden Point
2021 - Andrei Vasilevskiy
2022 - Miko Rantanen

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[GMR]

Definitely not Crosby.

I'm assuming Murray wins in 2017, Letang in 2016, and Malkin in 2009.

 

[alko]

For us, unknow of details from all american sports, you can write something more about this topic. What do you want exactly.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

For us, unknow of details from all american sports, you can write something more about this topic. What do you want exactly.

Basically sounds like an exercise in what would the Smythe winners list look like if it were a Finals MVP award instead of the entire playoffs.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Definitely not Crosby.

I'm assuming Murray wins in 2017, Letang in 2016, and Malkin in 2009.

Lol crosby very easily wins the 2017 award. Your out to lunch

 

[JackSlater]

For us, unknow of details from all american sports, you can write something more about this topic. What do you want exactly.

The NBA has a finals MVP trophy rather than a playoffs MVP trophy. The NFL likewise has a super bowl MVP rather than a playoff MVP. The NHL is the outlier actually in having a playoff MVP.

Of Detroit's recent Stanley Cups:

1997: Should be Fedorov but they might give it to Vernon, since that's also the story of the 1997 playoffs as a whole.
1998: Still Yzerman. Best player in the series.
2002: Gun to my head I'd guess Hasek. No one stood out above the others, but that's true of the 2002 playoffs in general. Could easily be Fedorov or Yzerman, or even Chelios or Lidstrom.
2008: Still Zetterberg easily.

 

[GMR]

Lol crosby very easily wins the 2017 award. Your out to lunch

Murray's numbers were good in the Finals, along with two shutouts.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Murray's numbers were good in the Finals, along with two shutouts.

Crosby led the finals in scoring and the best game of his career in game 5.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Crosby led the finals in scoring and the best game of his career in game 5.

True, but its hard to ignore a .931 sv% in the series and back to back shutouts to win a series that was 2-2. We are talking about media members, they come up with strange narratives often

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

True, but its hard to ignore a .931 sv% in the series and back to back shutouts to win a series that was 2-2. We are talking about media members, they come up with strange narratives often

Crosbys finals is what won him the smythe as he n malkin were pretty much co mvps going in. That's my view on it at least

 

[MadLuke]

I get the idea for baseball when they keep some this is 2 different league facing each other in a tournament called the world series that happen after the league season are different.

A bit like the memorial cup has his own mvp.

Make some sense with how single game the sport is and different the superbowl in scale is in a way.

But Basketball feel a bit like a copycat in that regard.

One that would shift would probably be Brodeur vs Giguere in 2003.

Who win the cup become even bigger now and 3 of the 4 devils wins happened during a brodeur shutout in the finals, Giguere had some (maybe the best) first 3 round of 4-7 hockey.

In 95-96, Sakic still win or it goes to Roy ?

Again Sakic just had some of the best 3 first round of playoff hockey ever, scored a single goal in the final not beating the record he seemed quite en route to do, while Roy was nearly flawless in the final with a 63 saves for the last game, Roy was .974 in that final.

 

[tinyzombies]

I get the idea for baseball when they keep some this is 2 different league facing each other in a tournament called the world series that happen after the league season are different.

A bit like the memorial cup has his own mvp.

Make some sense with how single game the sport is and different the superbowl in scale is in a way.

But Basketball feel a bit like a copycat in that regard.

One that would shift would probably be Brodeur vs Giguere in 2003.

Who win the cup become even bigger now and 3 of the 4 devils wins happened during a brodeur shutout in the finals, Giguere had some (maybe the best) first 3 round of 4-7 hockey.

In 95-96, Sakic still win or it goes to Roy ?

Again Sakic just had some of the best 3 first round of playoff hockey ever, scored a single goal in the final not beating the record he seemed quite en route to do, while Roy was nearly flawless in the final with a 63 saves for the last game, Roy was .974 in that final.

I remember Brodeur struggling but then making an adjustment and playing well again.

1989 is Gilmour off the top of my head.

 

[Brodeur]

I remember Brodeur struggling but then making an adjustment and playing well again.

Games 1/2: Devils play smothering D + Anaheim looks rusty after an 11 day break. Ducks only muster 16 shots in both games.

Game 3: Ducks 3-2 OT win. Also the game with the all-time blooper where Brodeur lost his stick and deflected a slow dump in past himself.

Game 4: Ducks 1-0 OT win. I attended this game, didn't remember too many good scoring chances for either side.

Game 5: Devils 6-3 win. Oddest game of the series. Sykora scored off an offensive zone draw win by Adam Oates was almost a carbon copy of Ruslan Salei's Game 3 OT winner. With Joe Nieuwendyk hurt, Anaheim had a big advantage in the faceoff dot.

Game 6: Ducks 5-2 win. Brodeur gets pulled after two periods.

Game 7: Devils 3-0 win, almost a repeat of Game 1/2.

------

Tough thing was that Brodeur's puckhandling could get overlooked in terms of shot suppression. The announcers would point it out, but a lot of fans would scoff at a 16 shot shutout.

Brodeur for the series had a .925 sv% and a 1.73 GAA. Maybe another factor would be that the Devils didn't have an obvious alternate candidate that year which helped Giguere get the Conn Smythe. Elias and Gomez didn't really start clicking until the following year. Jeff Friesen had some big goals but wasn't a constant threat in the series. Scott Niedermayer quietly did his thing but could easily get overshadowed.

For the finals:
Jeff Friesen: 5 goals, 0 assists, +6, 16:33 ATOI
Patrik Elias: 3 goals, 4 assists, +3, 16:59 ATOI
Scott Niedermayer: 0 goals, 5 assists, +8, 25:01 ATOI

I'd give the nod to Niedermayer, but it was tough since he didn't have a "moment" or game in the playoffs/finals where somebody could point to when he took over.

 

[tinyzombies]

Games 1/2: Devils play smothering D + Anaheim looks rusty after an 11 day break. Ducks only muster 16 shots in both games.

Game 3: Ducks 3-2 OT win. Also the game with the all-time blooper where Brodeur lost his stick and deflected a slow dump in past himself.

Game 4: Ducks 1-0 OT win. I attended this game, didn't remember too many good scoring chances for either side.

Game 5: Devils 6-3 win. Oddest game of the series. Sykora scored off an offensive zone draw win by Adam Oates was almost a carbon copy of Ruslan Salei's Game 3 OT winner. With Joe Nieuwendyk hurt, Anaheim had a big advantage in the faceoff dot.

Game 6: Ducks 5-2 win. Brodeur gets pulled after two periods.

Game 7: Devils 3-0 win, almost a repeat of Game 1/2.

------

Tough thing was that Brodeur's puckhandling could get overlooked in terms of shot suppression. The announcers would point it out, but a lot of fans would scoff at a 16 shot shutout.

Brodeur for the series had a .925 sv% and a 1.73 GAA. Maybe another factor would be that the Devils didn't have an obvious alternate candidate that year which helped Giguere get the Conn Smythe. Elias and Gomez didn't really start clicking until the following year. Jeff Friesen had some big goals but wasn't a constant threat in the series. Scott Niedermayer quietly did his thing but could easily get overshadowed.

For the finals:
Jeff Friesen: 5 goals, 0 assists, +6, 16:33 ATOI
Patrik Elias: 3 goals, 4 assists, +3, 16:59 ATOI
Scott Niedermayer: 0 goals, 5 assists, +8, 25:01 ATOI

I'd give the nod to Niedermayer, but it was tough since he didn't have a "moment" or game in the playoffs/finals where somebody could point to when he took over.

I remember Marty letting in kind of a long shot from the wing and he was way off his angle which was strange for him. It he rebounded strongly and they obviously won

 

[MadLuke]

Some consideration

2009-2010 Briere 12 points+5 in a loosing effort vs Toews 0, goals, 3 pts -5 for the winning team, or someone else on the Hawks ?
With Sakic potentially loosing his 1996, maybe he get it in 2001, with no Forsberg and the memorable moments including in the game 7

I think I agree with Niedermayer in 03, but if no one really stand out strongly, going with the winning goaltender would be quite common.

98-99, with Modano 7 points playing 25 minutes a game against Buffalo, does Nieuwndyk stand enough (at all) ahead among the skaters ? If he does not go to Modano, maybe Belfour.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

With Sakic potentially loosing his 1996, maybe he get it in 2001

I was going to say the same thing. If the voters only focus on the finals, Roy and Sakic probably trade trophies.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

NJ Devils:

1995: Scott Stevens, Marty Brodeur, and Claude Lemieux all had cases. I'm going to guess Stevens, who had the defining moment of the series.
2000: Probably Jason Arnott
2003: Scott Niedermayer, and I don't think it's close. Only player from either team who could break the other team's trap consistently. Edit: Though reading @Brodeur 's post above, I can see stats-obsessed writers going with Elias

 

[Brodeur]

I feel like Friesen would have gotten more attention than Elias. 2 goal game in the deciding Game 7 plus the dynamic of him being on the Ducks the previous year. Seems like the type of narrative that a media-driven vote would have leaned towards.

 

[ozzie]

Does the NBA not consider any play before the finals and have they ever awarded it to a player who lost the finals? Maybe that is the key difference here?

 

[tinyzombies]

Does the NBA not consider any play before the finals and have they ever awarded it to a player who lost the finals? Maybe that is the key difference here?

Regardless I’m interested in finals performances

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I feel like Friesen would have gotten more attention than Elias. 2 goal game in the deciding Game 7 plus the dynamic of him being on the Ducks the previous year. Seems like the type of narrative that a media-driven vote would have leaned towards.

maybe you're right. I just remember watching it how visually good Niedernayer was compared to everyone else

 

[MadLuke]

Does the NBA not consider any play before the finals and have they ever awarded it to a player who lost the finals? Maybe that is the key difference here?

The first ever MVP finals was won by Jerry West on the losing side, when voters took the new assignment quite literally, but never rehappened since.

It is not that common in the nhl either (5 times I think)

 

[Dr John Carlson]

For the Capitals in 2018, it's almost certainly Braden Holtby, especially with 'The Save' accounted for.

 

[Crosby2010]

Murray's numbers were good in the Finals, along with two shutouts.

Yeah its Crosby for sure in 2017. 2016 you are probably looking at Murray, Kessel or my pick Letang.

I will say Duncan Keith in 2010.

Kuznetsov in 2018 maybe. Could even be Holtby especially if that save at the end of game 2 is on the minds of the voters

It is probably still Makar in 2022, but Rantanen would likely be in the mix.

 

[LightningStorm]

TB Lightning

2004: Close between Richards and MSL. Richards led the team in points in the SCF, but MSL had more big moments. I'd probably go MSL, plus the media would love the narrative of him beating the team that cut him. Could go either way though, and Richards was a slam dunk for playoff MVP.

2020: Point wins this with his 5 goals in the finals, especially for how timely most of them were. Hedman also wasn't quite as dominant in the finals as he was during the previous rounds where he outright controlled the ice.

2021: Vasilevskiy's Conn Smythe basically was a finals MVP. Kucherov and Point were ahead of him entering the finals, but Vasy's dominant performance put him over the top.