Weber, Keith and Chara for the Norris

[glenngineer]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=716866&navid=nhl:topheads

Top 3 again. Maybe he does win it this year.

Click to read more...

 

[pekkaslap]

He will finish third i think,but i didnt expect him to be a finalist at all given all the elitist media biases, great accomplishment for Webs. Proud of the Cap'n. I hope he wins one before he hangs it up.

 

[pekkaslap]

There's a chart on the main board thread that illustrates how Keith doenst even draw the tough matchups on his own team, pretty sad that he will likely win it.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

General consensus from the main board: "Weber should win, Keith will". Fans love Weber.

 

[Dave is a killer]

shocked, just shocked that Doughty wasn't a finalist

 

[YouAreTheGovt]

If Weber played for another team, he would have won the past 4 years.

 

[Mass]

If Weber played for another team, he would have won the past 4 years.

Slight hyperbole maybe, but I feel confident in saying he'd at least have one if he was on a team like Boston or Chicago, probably Toronto and Montreal as well.

 

[JamestheSame]

All of the finalists are great at what they do. I hope Weber wins but I'm not expecting it.

 

[PredsV82]

to rephrase what has been said about Weber elsewhere, Weber didnt really turn it on until the second half of the season, whereas Keith had his big numbers early, and Im sure a lot of the reporters that dont pay attention to nashville anyway had already been thinking Keith all year long

 

[nomorekids]

to rephrase what has been said about Weber elsewhere, Weber didnt really turn it on until the second half of the season, whereas Keith had his big numbers early, and Im sure a lot of the reporters that dont pay attention to nashville anyway had already been thinking Keith all year long

If it were me, I would actually have Keith third, but I'm doing something that most of the talking heads don't--factoring in #fancystats.

At first blush, Weber's 50% Fenwick-For doesn't seem great, especially when Chara and Keith are both sporting 56%. HOWEVER, in context, Weber's deployment is only 27% offensive zone, compared to 36/37 for Chara and Keith, against overall tougher competition, and not to mention on a much worse team. Not to mention, Keith's slim lead on Weber comes in large part to the fast bulk(well over half) of his points coming from second assists--a product of the dynamic team he plays on. Weber also plays almost a full two minutes more per game.

I don't know what's going to happen...I was absolutely sure there was no way that Weber was going to miss, the last year that Lidstrom got the trophy as a retirement gift...but of these three, Weber SHOULD win. Slow start or not, his late December-April is probably the best I've ever seen a defenseman play in 30 years of watching hockey.

 

[Montross]

If it were me, I would actually have Keith third, but I'm doing something that most of the talking heads don't--factoring in #fancystats.

At first blush, Weber's 50% Fenwick-For doesn't seem great, especially when Chara and Keith are both sporting 56%. HOWEVER, in context, Weber's deployment is only 27% offensive zone, compared to 36/37 for Chara and Keith, against overall tougher competition, and not to mention on a much worse team. Not to mention, Keith's slim lead on Weber comes in large part to the fast bulk(well over half) of his points coming from second assists--a product of the dynamic team he plays on. Weber also plays almost a full two minutes more per game.

I don't know what's going to happen...I was absolutely sure there was no way that Weber was going to miss, the last year that Lidstrom got the trophy as a retirement gift...but of these three, Weber SHOULD win. Slow start or not, his late December-April is probably the best I've ever seen a defenseman play in 30 years of watching hockey.

Well said JN

 

[StarvinArvyn33]

gotta gross feeling he takes it home this year.

he can only be denied so many times.

 

[PredsV82]

gotta gross feeling he takes it home this year.

he can only be denied so many times.

unless people are lying he will have to make up over 30 points in the remaining ballots that have not been publicly disclosed(not sure how many that is...)

 

[Cashville]

Think he places #3 this year. Congrats to el Capitain regardless.

 

[Armourboy]

He won't win, they will give it to Keith for playing for a better team. Chicago, Boston, and Nashville, yeah sorry Weber.

 

[Cashville]

Unless my google-fu skills are lacking, I believe Weber is the 5th Norris finalist ever whose team did not make the playoffs; the last was in 1968.

 

[PredsFanFromla]

I hope weber wins it this years,so the hawk fans and bruin fans can suck it,who think weber's nomination is a joke

 

[hockey diva]

Mike Milbury and Keith Jones both said Weber should win. Nice props from them.

 

[Nashville Transplant]

shocked, just shocked that Doughty wasn't a finalist

I'm not shocked, but I am actually shocked that Pietrangelo was denied.

I did like Milbury and Jones just talking about Doughty's "Norris-like play" but it's tough to get into the top 3 when most of the writers are asleep by the time the western games conclude. Of course, Kopitar, Marleau and Getzlaf may disprove that.

That being said, if Chara was 6'4 he wouldn't even be in the discussion.

If voters got to see Weber play in his defensive zone consistently, they probably would have gone with Pietrangelo. But numbers don't lie. Shea earned the nod with the offensive numbers. Congrats to him.

 

[Armourboy]

I'm not shocked, but I am actually shocked that Pietrangelo was denied.

I did like Milbury and Jones just talking about Doughty's "Norris-like play" but it's tough to get into the top 3 when most of the writers are asleep by the time the western games conclude. Of course, Kopitar, Marleau and Getzlaf may disprove that.

That being said, if Chara was 6'4 he wouldn't even be in the discussion.

If voters got to see Weber play in his defensive zone consistently, they probably would have gone with Pietrangelo. But numbers don't lie. Shea earned the nod with the offensive numbers. Congrats to him.

I would argue that Chara is the guy that shouldn't really be there, the other two I think you can make far better arguments for. Lets face it, its much like Lidstrom, he's there because of other reasons.

 

[sparkle twin]

Mike Milbury and Keith Jones both said Weber should win. Nice props from them.

I thought I was hallucinating when I heard that.


In the ballot thread the last count had Weber and Keith tied with 9 first place votes each. But Weber was still 20-30 points behind Keith overall.

 

[nomorekids]

I'm not shocked, but I am actually shocked that Pietrangelo was denied.

I did like Milbury and Jones just talking about Doughty's "Norris-like play" but it's tough to get into the top 3 when most of the writers are asleep by the time the western games conclude. Of course, Kopitar, Marleau and Getzlaf may disprove that.

That being said, if Chara was 6'4 he wouldn't even be in the discussion.

If voters got to see Weber play in his defensive zone consistently, they probably would have gone with Pietrangelo. But numbers don't lie. Shea earned the nod with the offensive numbers. Congrats to him.

If they saw Weber play in the defensive zone consistently, they'd see that he's far above average there as well, and certainly comparable to either Doughty or Pietrangelo.

Just like with Keith and Chara, the 4-5 percentage point advantage they have on Weber in FF% - Close is pretty easily explained away by the fact that Weber a) averages 1-2 minutes more per game and also gets in the area of 10 % fewer offensive zone starts than Pietrangelo.

Oh, but right, Weber is -2, so he's a defensive liability.

 

[triggrman]

If they saw Weber play in the defensive zone consistently, they'd see that he's far above average there as well, and certainly comparable to either Doughty or Pietrangelo.

Just like with Keith and Chara, the 4-5 percentage point advantage they have on Weber in FF% - Close is pretty easily explained away by the fact that Weber a) averages 1-2 minutes more per game and also gets in the area of 10 % fewer offensive zone starts than Pietrangelo.

Oh, but right, Weber is -2, so he's a defensive liability.

You should give up now, he only sees what he wants too. To him, Doughty is better, to 99% of the other hockey fans Weber is better.

 

[Persona5]

I'm just happy Suter isn't on this list and did anyone see Landeskog knock Suter on his but last night. I was laughing so hard.

As for Weber winning, he probably won't. For him to have the kind of year he had with the lack of forward support was amazing. Congrats to him for even making the list on a non-playoff team. That is like winning right there.

 

[nomorekids]

You should give up now, he only sees what he wants too. To him, Doughty is better, to 99% of the other hockey fans Weber is better.

Just don't say "defensive lines" instead of "pairings." There's a lesson for that one.