The MVP award in most major sports is a much debated race. This isn't because the races are necessarily too close to call, but rather that the inherent criteria for the award means that it won't go to the player most deserving. The most common issue is the relevance of the candidate's team, and where they are in the standings. Can he be an MVP if his team is a loser? The answer is almost always no.
This week's Top7 List gives a little back to the losers, it's Top 7 NHL players that won't win an MVP. In an attempt to level the playing field, as it were, this list will look at how well the players did, not if they were the only big star on a contender. Just look at Detroit, and tell me how you pick an MVP out of Hasek, Yzerman, Federov, Lidstrom, Robitaille, Hull, Chelios and Shanahan. Who's the better Canuck, Naslund or Bertuzzi? Here it is, the best of the overlooked.
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 | Brian Rolston Bruins Boston had one of its best seasons in recent history, and it came out of the pre-season debacle of not being able to sign their top star, Allison, and then contract issues with a number of other players. The team had too many players with great seasons to be able to pick out an MVP. Dafoe was solid. Murray led the team in points, Guerin in goals, Thornton and Stumpel in assists, and Samsonov and Lapointe filled out the offense. O'Donnell was the leader on defense... and yet, Brian Rolston led the league with nine short-handed goals. Nine. Seven game winners. He contributed on all fronts, but most of all, he struck fear into the hearts of power play units, leading the top PK squad in the league, an amazing 90.2% efficiency at home. |
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 | Jocelyn Thibault Blackhawks There weren't any overwhelming numbers from the Chicago offense this year. Solid efforts were turned in by Daze, Zhamnov, Calder, Amonte, Nylander and Sullivan, but you can't say that any single one of them was responsible for the huge turnaround the Hawks showed this season. The defense was certainly tighter, though, and that gave Thibault a chance to play more confidently, and his stats yield the results. Last season, T-Bone was peppered with many more second shots, and as a result, let in too many first shots -- but not so this year, and the difference is that the goaltending has led Chicago into the playoffs. |
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 | Jason Allison Kings It started with a hold-out, which might have lasted all season. Luckily, the Kings made an offer the Bruins couldn't refuse, and Allison suited up for L.A. It took a couple of weeks for Allison to get at all into the groove, but once he did, it made all the difference. The rest of the season saw him lead the team in scoring, finishing second in the league in assists. He scored a pair of game-winners and game-tyers, and assisted on many more. Most importantly, he's become the leader on the ice for a team that has been missing one since the departure of Blake. |
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 | Teppo Numminen Coyotes Many picked the Coyotes to finish last, at least in their division. Why not? They had no offense, no defense, and a goalie whose last season must have been a fluke. They looked like they were in rebuilding mode, sending away Khabibulin and Roenick, among others. That left the offense with... Briere? Langkow? Doan? Yikes! And yet, here they are, now, headed for the second season, and they have Teppo to thank for it. The veteran blueliner doesn't have the tools of Lidstrom or Blake, but he led the team in assists, power play points, and game winners. In fact, he led the league in GWG among defensemen. All this, while playing solid hockey in his own end. |
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 | Nikolai Khabibulin Lightning If you caught the All-Star game, you saw The Bulin Wall stonewall the North American team, and single-handedly win the game for his side, something that doesn't happen with goalies. In that same game, you saw the game's MVP award go to another player. This will happen again, because Khabi plays for the Lightning, the notoriously worst team in the league. There is no offense, and certainly no defense being played in Tampa, but my goodness, there is goaltending. Somehow, Khabibulin managed to match his numbers from his last full season, when he was playing with a decent Phoenix team. Talk about a one-man show! |
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 | Ron Francis Hurricanes Every year, his team gets counted out. Every year, he gets counted out. Let's face it, he is ninety years old. He's been in the league since this team was in Hartford! And look what happens every year: he's consistently good. This year, he led the league in power play scoring, and played on what some are calling the best line in hockey. To top it off, he's the captain of a team that just won its division. |
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Pavol Demitra Blues | |
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The Blues have been up and down all year. Players have gone in and out of the lineup, through injuries or trades. There's one man you know will always have a cushy spot on the IR, and that's Demitra... and yet he was AWOL from the AWOL list. For only the second time, he played in all 82 games, and what a contribution came out of that. While Tcaptain Tkeith was getting all the attention scoring the goals, Demitra was putting in the ones that mattered, leading the league in GWG. He scored ten of them, the same number he scored in 98-99, the first year he played in every game. With all the drama that the Blues went through this season, it was a big boost to see this guy out on the ice every night. Doesn't hurt to lead the team in scoring, either. What, you think Giguere deserves a nod? You can't believe Cloutier and Kapanen were ignored? Do your griping on the Chaser boards!
Next week we turn to the NBA. The best duos on the court! Pick your one-two punch and email me with your nominations.