Hockey Night in Canada podcast: NHL Awards explained
What goes on behind the ballots for hockey's biggest honours
It's not quite the American Electoral system, but the NHL awards still mystify fans who try to figure out how the ballots, candidates, votes and all the rest of the process, actually work.
On this week's Hockey Night in Canada podcast, host Rob Pizzo and Sophia Jurksztowicz deserve a public service award themselves for shining light on the opaque business of picking the five most deserving players (and coach) of the regular hockey season.
The balloting is in process right now, actually, as the season nears its end.
Why now? Well, the organizers want to get those votes registered before the playoff fireworks have a chance to colour voters' memories about regular season heroics.
WATCH | Ed Olczyk on who should win coach of the year:
Maybe the most interesting thing we learn this week is who gets to vote.
Jurksztowicz talks with Mark Spector, president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, who takes care to explain that every effort is made to spread out the ballots as fairly as possible.
Northern towns like Boston, Toronto and New York have a great number of long-serving pro hockey journalists who would love to get in on the voting. But that would likely skew the attention and awards unfairly away from deserving, smaller hockey markets in the South and West.
It's not an obvious system, but it is fair.
Pizzo gets very efficient this week, talking to one man for three perspectives on the awards experience. Former NHL great Ed Olczyk talks as player, coach and commentator about behind the scenes considerations at awards decision time.
Olcyzk also discloses his own votes for the top-five honours this year.
See? The process is getting more open and understandable by the minute.
The Hockey Night In Canada podcast is a weekly CBC Sports production.
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Listen to previous Hockey Night podcasts
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Episode 24:
Despite efforts to be an open and inclusive game, racism still exists in hockey. We speak to Karl Subban, the father of P.K., Malcolm and Jordan. He provides an interesting take on how to deal with racism and how he has instilled positive values in his kids.
Episode 23:
Despite all the advancement's in women's hockey, there is still room to grow. In this episode, we celebrate women's impact on the game.
Episode 22:
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Episode 21:
Trade deadline day is one of the most anticipated on the hockey calendar, so we take a look at what goes into the media circus surrounding it and what past transactions reaped immediate rewards.
Episode 20:
Russian players have come a long way since former Buffalo Sabres GM Gerry Meehan brought Alexander Mogilny to North America. In this episode, we talk about the evolution of the Russian player in the NHL from Mogilny to Ovi.
Episode 19:
The Leaf's long drought turns hockey lovers maroon with pain in Toronto, but what can we learn from the lean times? And is there a glimmer of hope in that five year horizon presented by the Auston Matthews' signing?
Episode 18:
Scott Russell fills in for host Rob Pizzo and talks to three legendary voices of the game. Jim Robson, Dick Irvin and Joe Bowen's narratives have brought the game to life for so many fans.
Episode 17:
Former Hockey Night In Canada reporter Scott Russell, who was a broadcaster at 10 all-star games, joins us to discuss his favourite moments.
Episode 16:
Chirping has been a big part of the game for years, so we get a crash course in the good, the bad and the ugly of it from one of the NHL's all-time best trash-talkers Matthew Barnaby.
Episode 15:
Women are coaching, scouting, broadcasting and being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. But more can be done. Why not a female referee, head coach or general manager in the NHL? Hayley Wickenheiser shares her insight.
Episode 14:
With the NHL season reaching the halfway point, it's time to take a look the highs and lows of the year so far. Stanley Cup champion Glenn Healy helps breakdown what has transpired so far this season.
Episode 13:
We take a look back at the best interviews of 2018, which includes Daniel Carcillo opening up about the hazing he experienced as a member of the Sarnia Sting.
Episode 12:
Hockey books are the perfect gift for any rabid fan and Jay Baruchel, Ken Reid and James Duthie have a few suggestions that should cover anyone on your holiday lists.
Episode 11:
The NHL recently confirmed that when the 2021-22 season begins, there will be 32 teams in the league. We take a closer look at Seattle's expansion bid, the history of expansion, as well as the future of expansion.
Episode 10:
The axe has fallen on four coaches and one general manager so far this season, but we sometimes forget that coaches are human and have families. Former NHL coach Barry Melrose breaks down what life is like for coaches after they're fired.
Episode 9:
Hazing has been an accepted part of hockey for decades now. But recently some disturbing stories have come into the public eye. Stories that involved abuse, bullying, and some horrible behaviour … all disguised as "hazing."
Episode 8:
They're a unique breed — the keepers of the crease are often known to be a little eccentric. Ilya Bryzgalov joins in to help explain what makes them so different from their teammates.
Episode 7:
Recent HHOF inductee Jayna Hefford joins Pizzo to break down the 2018 class, while selection committee member Brian Burke sheds some light on who the most important person in the game is — and it may not be who you think.
Episode 6:
Pizzo sits down with Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean to talk about the top storylines one month into the season and MacLean also fuels the debate over who the best player in the game is right now.
Episode 5:
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Episode 4:
The fans love seeing the puck in the net...so what about the poor guys between the pipes? Are they getting pummelled for the sake of rule-tinkering?
Episode 3:
Could there be a more thankless gig? Perfection means being ignored. A single mistake and you are marked for years of noisy abuse. Don Koharski officiated over 1,700 regular season games. He and Pizzo discuss the infamous "donut incident".
Episode 2:
Rivalries are the heart and soul of NHL excitement, but the days of brawling are mostly a thing of the past. Chris Nilan and Kris Draper talk about those old grudges, while some current players insist rivalries are as hot as ever.
Episode 1:
At the beginning of every NHL season, hockey fans generally have more questions than answers when it comes to their favourite teams — and the start of the 2018-19 campaign was no different. Pizzo tackled five burning questions on the minds of the hockey faithful.