Memories of the 2003 NHL season -- My "Thank You" Awards
The 2002-2003 hockey season is over and the real NHL awards will be handed out this Thursday, June 12th. In keeping with the spirit of that ceremony, I'm giving away a few awards of my own.
First of all, I would like to congratulate the New Jersey Devils for winning their third Stanley Cup in eight years. But, please, let's not get carried away and call them a dynasty. They aren't.
As for the subject of this article... the NHL has their official awards ceremony in Toronto this Thursday night, June 12th.
On a personal note, I would like to hand out my own awards for this season, which I will call my "Thank You" Awards.
Like a beauty pageant, the winners are in no particular order.
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For not being the brunt of NHL jokes anymore.
Tampa Bay Lightening and Minnesota Wild: For making it to the Stanley Cup playoffs when no one gave them a snowballs chance in you know where.
Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators: For giving the birthplace of hockey, Canada, something to be proud of.
Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche: For allowing us to love you and loathe you for 18 years.
Jean-Sebasstien Giguere, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For letting Ducks' fans and the rest of the NHL "get Jiggy wit it."
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils: In spite of all the off-ice marital problems, he still showed hockey fans why he is the heir apparent to "St. Patrick."
Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild, Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche, and Markus Naslund, Vancouver Canucks: For showing hockey fans that excellent hockey players come from Europe, too.
Rob Neidermeyer, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Scott Neidermeyer, New Jersey Devils: For giving us one of the best human interest stories in the Stanley Cup finals.
Steve Rucchin, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For coming back to play from injuries and a death in the family.
Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: In game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, after being knocked unconscious, he gave new meaning to the expression, "takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin."
Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils, Steve Thomas and Adam Oates, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For showing us that 40-year-old hockey players don't die -- they keep on hitting, scoring goals and winning faceoffs.
NHL Fans: For showing the world that our sport may be "minor," but we love it with a passion that other sports can't match.
Finally a personal "shout out" to the NHL media directors who allowed me to invade their locker rooms with pencil and paper in hand -- Thank you for being so accommodating again this year.
See you in October!
As for the subject of this article... the NHL has their official awards ceremony in Toronto this Thursday night, June 12th.
On a personal note, I would like to hand out my own awards for this season, which I will call my "Thank You" Awards.
Like a beauty pageant, the winners are in no particular order.
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For not being the brunt of NHL jokes anymore.
Tampa Bay Lightening and Minnesota Wild: For making it to the Stanley Cup playoffs when no one gave them a snowballs chance in you know where.
Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators: For giving the birthplace of hockey, Canada, something to be proud of.
Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche: For allowing us to love you and loathe you for 18 years.
Jean-Sebasstien Giguere, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For letting Ducks' fans and the rest of the NHL "get Jiggy wit it."
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils: In spite of all the off-ice marital problems, he still showed hockey fans why he is the heir apparent to "St. Patrick."
Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild, Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche, and Markus Naslund, Vancouver Canucks: For showing hockey fans that excellent hockey players come from Europe, too.
Rob Neidermeyer, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Scott Neidermeyer, New Jersey Devils: For giving us one of the best human interest stories in the Stanley Cup finals.
Steve Rucchin, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For coming back to play from injuries and a death in the family.
Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: In game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, after being knocked unconscious, he gave new meaning to the expression, "takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin."
Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils, Steve Thomas and Adam Oates, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: For showing us that 40-year-old hockey players don't die -- they keep on hitting, scoring goals and winning faceoffs.
NHL Fans: For showing the world that our sport may be "minor," but we love it with a passion that other sports can't match.
Finally a personal "shout out" to the NHL media directors who allowed me to invade their locker rooms with pencil and paper in hand -- Thank you for being so accommodating again this year.
See you in October!
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