Jonathan Toews is setting a perfect example for young hockey players everywhere. He's the captain of his team, plays in all situations, possesses an incredible work ethic and, in the absence of Sidney Crosby, rivals any other forward as the best in the league. I forgot to mention, he's only 23.
The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to the individual judged to be most valuable to his team. Key phrase: to his team. There are a number of obvious players deserving of the honor this season which include, but are not limited to, Phil Kessel, Claude Giroux, Tim Thomas and Brian Elliott. In my opinion, there are also a number of potential nominees who aren't as publicized like Anze Kopitar, Jimmy Howard, Tyler Seguin and Mikko Koivu. This piece isn't meant to sell any of these individuals short. I just believe they're not as deserving as Toews.
The trophy's recipient is extremely difficult to select. There is no restriction on who can receive it. It can be a left wing, right wing, center, goalie or defenseman. This means that an infinite number of factors must be considered. And not all factors apply to each position. Goals and other offensive production are good indicators, but if that's the only consideration, goalies and defensemen would never win. Plus-minus is another meaningful statistic, but it's too often ambiguous because every team has a different structure. Shoot, the same can be said for every line and defensive pairing within a roster. These obscurities make the choice near impossible.
Generally however, the winner's team was successful during the regular season, likely because the recipient made a significant difference. Jonathan Toews has made a serious impact every year, but especially this season. Other than his rookie year, the Chicago Blackhawks have made the playoffs every season with him in the lineup. He's always been as close to a point-a-game player as one can get. In this current season, Toews is on pace to finally break that mark.
I understand the Blackhawks are a very good team even without him, but let's take a closer looks at exactly what he's brought to the lineup this year. He currently leads the team in total points, takeaways, shooting percentage and shorthanded points He's third on his team in plus-minus. He leads forwards in average ice time. He's third in average power play ice time, by only ten seconds. He's second on the team among forwards for average shorthanded time on ice, by one second. He has the best face-off percentage in the league, 62%, among forwards who regularly take them (>225). This exponentially increases puck-possession and gets the team out of potentially dangerous situations.
Without Jonathan Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks would be a very different, less successful team. For all of the reasons mentioned above, plus more, Toews is well on his way to being the most important player in the league.
Agreed?
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