One of the most prestigious awards presented at the NHL Awards Show is the Norris Trophy. The James Norris Memorial Trophy is awarded to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position. The 2013-2014 finalists are Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins. This may have been one of the most difficult awards to narrow down to three finalists. Some great candidates who were left of the list were Ryan Suter, Mark Giordano, Erik Karlsson, Kevin Shattenkirk, and the list goes on and on. The award is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and is based on regular season play. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 24th at the 2014 NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks
This is the second time that Keith has been named as a finalist for the Norris trophy. In 2009-2010 he won this prestigious award. This season he lead all defencemen with 55 assists, and was second in total points with 61. Keith’s ability to jump up into the play, and create offense, helped Chicago become the league leader in team goals. Keith also played more minutes per game than any other Blackhawk player.
Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
The shot that Weber has from the point is scary, down right scary. He led the league in goals by a defenseman with 23. He tallied 56 points which led the Nashville Predators in points. His power play presence makes him one of the best in the league. He also set a career high this season in shooting percentage with an 11.8%. This is the third time that Weber has been nominated for the Norris Trophy. He has been runner-up the other two times, and is looking to break that trend this season. He is a very complete defenseman, offensively and defensively.
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Chara is a defensive force. His enormous size makes him very difficult to play against. He is a key reason why the Boston Bruins ranked second in goals against. His numbers are also very impressive. He netted 17 goals, ten of them being on the power play. He also had a very impressive +25, and in recent years has logged team high minutes each game. This is the sixth time that Chara has been nominated for the Norris Trophy. He has won the award one time.
National Hockey League news and information website. Hockey news website/blog that covers the National Hockey League – offers a sometimes controversial but always entertaining approach to the great game of hockey.