Is a fourth Lady Byng in the offing for Datsyuk?
That's the NHL's theme for the 2008-09 season and it's an apt question when it comes to the nominees for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the League's most gentlemanly player.
Is this the year that Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Martin St. Louis reverses the outcome of the Lady Byng voting the past two seasons and unseats Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, who is seeking his fourth straight Lady Byng?
Both players are among the finalists this year, along with New Jersey Devils left winger Zach Parise. They will be on hand for the 2009 NHL Awards, which will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on June 18 on VERSUS in the United States and CBC in Canada.
Character counts and the three nominees for the 2009 Lady Byng have it in spades.
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Perhaps the most misunderstood trophy in sports, the Lady Byng rewards "the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." In other words, it rewards production done with class.
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Good picks. I already know how good St. Louis and Datsyuk are, but Parise is one of the pleasant surprises this year. He's looked awesome in the NJ games I've seen.