The NHL has announced the winner of another major regular season award. Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes has been awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability”. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jared Spurgeon of the Minnesota Wild were the other finalists.
Slavin, 27, received 73 of the 100 first-place votes after recording just a single minor penalty in 52 games. He also becomes just the fourth defenseman to ever win the award and first since Brian Campbell in 2012. Slavin averaged nearly 23 minutes a night for the Hurricanes, carrying heavy defensive responsibility on a nightly basis. His career-low of two penalty minutes is incredible, yet somewhat unsurprising from a player that has never collected even 20 in a single season.
The top five were rounded out by Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov and Rangers’ star Artemi Panarin. 57 players in total received at least one vote, but Slavin was included on all 100 ballots. The runaway winner finished well ahead of second-place Spurgeon, who received just one first-place vote but 17 second-place ballots.
This is the first major regular season award for Slavin, who finished fourth in Lady Byng voting and fifth in Norris Trophy voting a year ago.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
The most underrated player in the NHL.
thank goodness it wasnt Auston…again.
What do you mean again?
He’s been in the running for the Byng for a couple years now but off ice actions generally make him an unfavored choice in the eyes of fans.
he was a finalist last year
Pretty sure this is an on ice achievement award.
AM34 will win in a landslide next year, as he goes for the “criminal vote.” The other two finalists will have the usual pics portraying them in a favorable light, but Auston will get the front and side view shots, with that “knowing” smirk.
About time Lady Byng gets a little villainy attached to its name! ;D
@Gbear – How about this for a variation? The side view shows just enough to make you wonder what is different about that picture. Then, you see it on the front view — the eye patch! He’s really a pirate! Then, the retouched pic of Lady Byng, with her own eye patch next to his front view! Sportsmanlike? Sure! I let him get out of the faceoff circle with some of his limbs still attached! Just don’t show up in a Scottsdale parking lot and expect the same generous treatment…
:)
With all due respect to Slavin and Mrs. Byng, the Lady Byng is not a major award. It’s as minor as it gets. If it did not already exist, no one would invent this award today.
Hockey writers mindlessly lump the players with single digit penalty totals and toss a dart to pick one…
“This guy is a great player and he only had 4 PIM” “Yeah, but this other guy is a better player and he only had 8 PIM” “That’s twice as many! Get that goon out of here.”
If you want to award the most gentlemanly player, give it to Ryan Reaves, who could snap any other player he chooses in half but does not do so.
i would generally agree, but it really says something for a guy to get named on all 100 ballots given how many players get votes. that’s quite impressive.