The “snubs” for the Blackhawks have ended with Jonathan Toews being named one of the three finalists for the Selke Trophy. Tazer has been heralded as one of the best two way forwards in the game for years, and this is second nomination for the award. He was the runner up to Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler in 2011. Last year’s winner Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, and three time winner Pavel Datsyuk, of the Detroit Red Wings, are the other two finalists. You can’t go wrong giving the award to any of these guys. It will be tough for Toews to beat out these two former winners, but this will certainly not be his last nomination for the Selke.
There has been some discontent among Chicago hockey fans due to the amount of Hawks not being nominated for post season awards. Neither Toews or Patrick Kane was named a finalist for the Hart Trophy, when both had season’s good enough for the honor. This shouldn’t have surprised too many people considering the east coast bias within the media. You also have to consider the fact that two team mates having great seasons would split the vote of many writers and cost both of them a nomination. Marian Hossa was left off the final list for the Masterton Trophy which is awarded to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.” Hoss should have been a no brainer to finish 2nd in the voting to Minnesota’s Josh Harding. Individual awards are nice, but the bottom line is the Hawks are still in the running for the best trophy that is given out and that’s all that matters!