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Should the NHL Follow the NBA and Rebrand Awards?


Phil

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The NBA did this to celebrate "some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA," according to Adam Silver.

 

The fact they did, though, is a huge permission structure to do the same for a league like the NHL, given that some of their trophies aren't named after more prominent players the league is more widely known for (Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux), or named after problematic historical figures like Conn Smythe.

 

Bettman shot the idea down back in '15, but that would have meant the NHL was leading the charge rather than following the NBA's lead.

 

If they did, which do you change and who do you name them after?

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  • Phil changed the title to Should the NHL Follow the NBA and Rebrand Awards?

Hart - Gretzky
Norris - Orr
Vezina - Lundvist          jk Roy
Lindsay - Lemieux
Calder - Selanne
Jack Adams - Scotty Bowman
Selke - Idk....too soon for Bergeron? Datsyuk?
Lady Byng - After just learning the history of Lady Byng, and that it's not just some weird old-fashioned hockey name, Idk if they change this one?
Masterton - Yzerman



 

Edited by Tonybologna
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50 minutes ago, Tonybologna said:

Hart - Gretzky
Norris - Orr
Vezina - Lundvist          jk Roy
Lindsay - Lemieux
Calder - Selanne
Jack Adams - Scotty Bowman
Selke - Idk....too soon for Bergeron? Datsyuk?
Lady Byng - After just learning the history of Lady Byng, and that it's not just some weird old-fashioned hockey name, Idk if they change this one?
Masterton - Yzerman



 

As long as the Vezina isn't renamed after Brodeur.....

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3 hours ago, Pete said:

Make it less subjective. While it can't be totally based on stats, I'd go with the record holders for the categories, especially if OV breaks the goal scoring record. 

 

I think that's exactly it. With Smythe, there's an added component of not wanting to openly celebrate an open racist, but some of the current awards are named after players who just don't equate to the value/meaning of the award itself.

 

The Hart trophy is given "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team." The only reason it's named Hart is because it was donated to the league in 1923 by David Hart, the father of Cecil Hart — a longtime coach of the Habs. It's not even named after a player, let alone a player synonymous with great play. Gretzky is inarguably the most important name in hockey from both a scoring perspective, as well as a value one. His name transcends the sport, even to this day, well after he retired. It just makes sense to name it after him. If not him, then Gordie Howe, for similar reasons.

 

The Norris trophy is named after a longtime owner of the Red Wings. Owner. Not player. Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Nik Lidstrom, Paul Coffey, etc. all make a ton more sense from a historical perspective. They actually played the position that the trophy is honoring and hold numerous records in the category.

 

The Art Ross is is given to the scoring leader, but named for a former player, GM, and head coach with a whopping 83 points over 153 professional games. He has plenty of other accolades in league history, but again, it's incredibly odd that the scoring title is named after a guy who isn't remotely associated with scoring.

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I think they need to be careful. There are obvious ones that won’t be controversial, and others which would invoke a lot of debate about “why him and not this other guy”. Gretzky for Hart and Orr for Norris are slam dunks and I’d be fine with it. Everything else is just way too opinionated to be changing. Like for Vezina who are you picking and why? Roy, Brodeur, Hasek? Jacques Plante won the most Vezinas. His name in the running too?

 

 

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48 minutes ago, rmc51 said:

I think they need to be careful. There are obvious ones that won’t be controversial, and others which would invoke a lot of debate about “why him and not this other guy”. Gretzky for Hart and Orr for Norris are slam dunks and I’d be fine with it. Everything else is just way too opinionated to be changing. Like for Vezina who are you picking and why? Roy, Brodeur, Hasek? Jacques Plante won the most Vezinas. His name in the running too?

 

 

 

This is the thing.  NBA isn't really renaming the trophies, they are naming them.  There will always be issues with trophies named after people (just like statues).  Leave it as is.

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4 hours ago, Long live the King said:

 

This is the thing.  NBA isn't really renaming the trophies, they are naming them.  There will always be issues with trophies named after people (just like statues).  Leave it as is.

Yes, that's true, but the issues would be smaller if the names made sense.

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10 hours ago, Pete said:

Make it less subjective. While it can't be totally based on stats, I'd go with the record holders for the categories, especially if OV breaks the goal scoring record. 

 

I prefer this. I like the idea of literally getting your name on a trophy for holding the record. It gets dicey with stuff like the Hart, the Selke or the Byng, but the rest? Love it.

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6 hours ago, rmc51 said:

I think they need to be careful. There are obvious ones that won’t be controversial, and others which would invoke a lot of debate about “why him and not this other guy”. Gretzky for Hart and Orr for Norris are slam dunks and I’d be fine with it. Everything else is just way too opinionated to be changing. Like for Vezina who are you picking and why? Roy, Brodeur, Hasek? Jacques Plante won the most Vezinas. His name in the running too?

 

Agreed. I don't think there's any need to replace the Vezina, for example.

 

I feel like the ones I outlined, and maybe Conn Smythe for racism, and you're kinda good? There's really only a small handful that "need" it.

 

To me, the most important is Gretzky > Hart.

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58 minutes ago, Pete said:

Yes, that's true, but the issues would be smaller if the names made sense.

 

Exactly. There will always be problems naming trophies after people. There are fewer problems naming them after  players. Even fewer yet if those players are legends of the sport. And even fewer yet if those legends are renowned ambassadors for the sport.

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1 hour ago, jsm7302 said:

Make it a fan vote. Devils don't have enough fans to rename the Vezina "the Brodeur". Haha

 

 

 

 

It would be kind of cool to be able to have a say in hockey history as a fan.

bad idea.  Ranger fans would rename Art Ross Trophy to Sean Avery Trophy.  

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Leave the names alone.  Not everything needs to be updated.  I am almost 40 and didn't know the back story to every person the trophies were named after.  I didn't care.  Still don't care.  But with that said, I still prefer leave and let be.  If they do change, please don't leave it up to a fan vote.  I have absolutely no confidence whatsoever that the idiots of common NHL fandom would do a well enough job voting on the new names.  Let the people in charge of the league take the reigns on unnecessarily changing stuff that doesn't need to be changed.  Not the common folk in the seats outside of the glass.

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3 hours ago, jsm7302 said:

Make it a fan vote. Devils don't have enough fans to rename the Vezina "the Brodeur". Haha

 

 

 

 

It would be kind of cool to be able to have a say in hockey history as a fan.


“The 2028-29 Henrik Lundqvist Award, awarded to the team with the most regular season points, is…” 

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