Blues Fan Awards

[philco_3]

http://blues.nhl.com/fanzone/09fan_awards.htm

I wish they had the biggest let down award.

[glen a richter]

I was going to vote for Legace for unsung hero for falling asleep and getting shipped out of town, but I thought that might be a touch tacky.

[ProngerBlues44]

I'm curious to know everyone's pick for best defenseman...

[philco_3]

I'm curious to know everyone's pick for best defenseman...

#46 for sure.

[Kreegz2]

In My Opinion...

MVP: Mason
Forward: McDonald
Defenseman: Polak
Unsung Hero: Backes
Biggest Surprise: Backes
Most Popular: Oshie

Moment: Playoff spot clincher

[hockeychick5739]

I went..
MVP: Mason
Forward: McDonald
Defenseman: Polak
Unsung Hero: Perron
Biggest Surprise: Backes
Most Popular: Oshie

Best Moment: Comeback win at Boston on Jan. 19.
(The playoff clinch comes in at a close 2nd..but damn the Boston game was the best of the year in my opinion)

[ProngerBlues44]

I went..
MVP: Mason
Forward: McDonald
Defenseman: Polak
Unsung Hero: Perron
Biggest Surprise: Backes
Most Popular: Oshie

Best Moment: Comeback win at Boston on Jan. 19.
(The playoff clinch comes in at a close 2nd..but damn the Boston game was the best of the year in my opinion)

I love how that game was televised too!

[Guppy]

I'm curious to know everyone's pick for best defenseman...

Polak

[Jeffro]

MVP: Mason
Best Forward: Backes
Best Defenseman: Polak
Unsung Hero: McClement
Biggest Surprise: Oshie
Most Popular: Oshie

[section319]

I'm curious to know everyone's pick for best defenseman...

Mike Weaver.

[dmiles2186]

MVP: Mason
Forward: Backes
Defenseman: Coliacavo
Unsung Hero: Mike Weaver (no joke)
Biggest Surprise: Backes
Most Popular: Oshie

And when I think unsung hero, I think mike Weaver. To be "unsung," I personally think that means someone that's hardly talked about (so that rules out Backes, Perron, Oshie, Boyes, etc. etc.). Mike Weaver was a depth defenseman at the beginning of the season, didn't complain, and only got better as the season wore on.

[theohall]

What sucks for Weaver is his size. No matter how well he plays, he's severely limited when play is stuck in the Blues end simply because he doesn't have the reach of bigger defenseman. The guy plays his heart out and is truly an unsung hero, but the harsh reality is larger defensemen with bigger reach are more important.

There was a point earlier this season when he seemed to be the best defenseman on the ice and stayed that way - as long has his reach wasn't a factor. His tenacity and skill in spite of that disadvantage have kept him in the NHL. He's worth having around as the 5th-7th d-man, but he's not the guy you want killing penalties, on the power play, or logging slogs of ice time. His work ethic woudl be good for the younger players to see. Hard to evaluate where Weaver will be next season. Then again, he wasn't supposed to make the team this season, either.

[philco_3]

Hopefully he'll still be with our system next year. When ever I meet him at an autograph session in January he was excellent guy to talk to, not one of those guys whom seemed to fake his way through it.

[Bretzky7]

MVP: Mason
Forward: Boyes
Defenseman: Colaiacovo
Unsung Hero: Backes
Biggest Surprise: Backes
Most Popular: Brewer

Best moment definetly the playoff clincher, as much as some games were exciting they all woulda meant nothing if they didnt make the playoffs. And it was pretty nerve racking knowing if we lost against Columbus the second last game of the year and Nashville had won we wouldve been done.

[theohall]

Best moment:

I'm torn between
a) the OT comeback win over Toronto
b) Beating the Bruins in Jan at Boston.
c) the playoff clincher. (interestingly - this one seems way down on the list, because of how well the team was playing when the clinched).

Yes, the comeback vs Toronto was very early in the season, but it stood out to me as a "work ethic" type game which essentially became the team's identity as the season wore on.

The Boston win - winning after 2 periods, giving up 3 straight goals in the 3rd making it 4-2, coming back and tying the game in 3rd with goals with 1:20 left and 1 second left, then winning in a shootout to beat the hottest team in the league at the time.... It emphasized this team's never quit "work ethic" which continued throughout the run once Mason took over.

The playoff clincher at the end was a "meh" game. It seemed inevitable the Blues would actually make the playoffs once it got down to the end. The shocker was everyone else choking and the Blues finishing 6th.

So it's either the Toronto game as a defining moment or the Boston game as the emphasizing moment - and I can't decide which meant more.

[KJVO_1611]

MVP: Mason

Forward: McDonald

Defense: Polak

Unsung Hero: Backes

Biggest Surprise: Colaiacovo (throw all the darts you want I though that neither of them would pan out)

Most Popular Player: Oshie

Moment: Boston (no doubt; Playoff right behind and just barely)

R/S

KJVO_1611
Romans 6:23

[Mellanby_equals_grit]

I agree with most of the picks here except the biggest surprise has to be Crombeen.. The guy came from NOWHERE to score a hat trick and be a regular physical and offensive presence. Sure I'd rather Perron have his ice time but he surprised the hell out of everyone.

[theohall]

I agree with most of the picks here except the biggest surprise has to be Crombeen.. The guy came from NOWHERE to score a hat trick and be a regular physical and offensive presence. Sure I'd rather Perron have his ice time but he surprised the hell out of everyone.

the kicker with Crombeen - what did he do after that hat trick? 12 goals on the season - 3 of which came in one game. I'd say he did what was expected of a grinder with one surprising game.

I'd have to go with Colaiacovo as the surprise player. Started more games than he ever had in his career. Never missed a game to injury (which is why the Leafs traded him), rejuvenized the offense from the defensive zone damn near the day after he arrives (showed d-men how how to play looking up ice and not just at the puck when they were playing it), and wound up with career stats for a single season - after being named a no-good, injury plagued, d-man by the Leafs. That was a HUGE surprise. Even more than Crombeen - who filled out the expected role, and Backes whom the Blues expected to improve or wouldn't have matched the Canucks offer.

[hockeychick5739]

I went..
MVP: Mason
Forward: McDonald
Defenseman: Polak
Unsung Hero: Perron
Biggest Surprise: Backes
Most Popular: Oshie

Best Moment: Comeback win at Boston on Jan. 19.
(The playoff clinch comes in at a close 2nd..but damn the Boston game was the best of the year in my opinion)

I love how that game was televised too!

That really sucked, but I watched a live stream on the internet.

[hockeychick5739]

Also, just wondering, do Blues fans still have a perma-hard on for Oshie? I wouldn't be surprised to see the results ending up:
MVP: Oshie
Forward: Oshie
Defenseman: whatever
Unsung Hero: Oshie
Biggest Surprise: Oshie
Most Popular: Oshie