Elliotte Friedman of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada recently suggested changing the names of some of the NHL's individual trophies.

He cites the NHL's naming its newest award, for individual goal-scoring in a season, the Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophy, as a "welcome embrace of history" for a league which did away with the Norris, Adams, Smythe and Patrick Divisions in favor of the Northeast, Atlantic, Central and Pacific Divisions.

Friedman suggests changing all the names of the individual trophies to reflect those of the game's greatest players. His suggestions:

Hart to Howe, Norris to Orr, Art Ross to Gretzky, Vezina to Plante, Byng to Beliveau, Selke to Gainey, Jennings to Bower/Sawchuk, Smythe to Roy, Adams to Bowman, and the Clancy Award to the Koivu award in honor of Saku Koivu once he retires.

Reading Friedman's blog it's difficult to tell if he's serious, just musing out loud or being tongue in cheek with this post, but to me his suggestion destroys the very history he claims he wants the league to embrace.

The Hart, Norris, Ross, Smythe and Jennings trophies were all named in honor of the men who played significant roles in the building of the National Hockey League. Without them, there would be no NHL hockey.  To rename their trophies would be to ignore the roles they played in the game's history and development.

The Vezina was named for the first great NHL goaltender, Montreal's Georges Vezina, and was created to honor his memory after he died tragically of tuberculosis in 1925. It is one of the league's oldest and respected trophies. Re-naming his trophy would be spitting on his memory.

Jack Adams was a legendary coach and general manager with the Detroit Red Wings, who built that club into a powerhouse during the 1950s.  Franke Selke was one of the NHL's greatest general managers, responsible for building the Leafs and Canadiens dynasties of the late 1940s and 1950s.

Frank "King" Clancy was one of hockey's true characters, playing 16 seasons in the NHL as one of the greatest defensemen in the league's early history and was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He later went on to become a referee and then a coach and team executive with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clancy was known for his charity work and this trophy was created in his memory to be given each season to the league's most charitable player.

I find it odd that Friedman bemoaned the league not embracing its history and then turns around and recommends doing the opposite by calling for the renaming of individual awards.

Do we turn around in, say, another fifty or one hundred years and call for the trophies to be renamed again if future greats end up eclipsing the records of the players Friedman believes the individual awards should be changed to?

Those trophies were created to commemorate men who played important roles in building up the National Hockey League. To rename them isn't embracing history, it's forgetting the league's roots.

It may be premature to start citing my pick for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, but I think this season there is little doubt that the most deserving candidate is Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

What Ovechkin's done this season is nothing short of amazing. He's not only the league's leading goalscorer with 46 goals (as of this writing), 7 more than his nearest rival, he's also presently the leading point-getter with 73, one point ahead of Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson.

He's also got 16 power-play goals, only five short of the 21 he had last season, and has 8 game-winners, tying his personal best of last year.

Ovechkin is also on pace for 67 goals, which would not only make him the first player to reach the 60-goal mark since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96, but he's also within striking distance of 70 goals, which would make him the first player to reach that plateau since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny did it back in 1992-93.

He's also perhaps one of the most physical goalscorers in the NHL, one who never shies away from the rough going, willing to take a lot of physical punishment to get himself into a quality scoring opportunity.

The only knock against Ovechkin is that he's not a good playmaker (he only has 27 assists and is on pace for only 39 this season), but that doesn't mean he's a selfish player, merely one built for goalscoring, like Pavel Bure and Maurice Richard.

He's also perhaps the most exciting player in the NHL right now, one that if the league had any sense would start hyping Ovechkin more. He's every bit as talented, exciting and important to the NHL as Sidney Crosby, his only true rival.

Had Crosby not been sidelined by an ankle injury for six weeks, he'd be battling with Ovechkin for the Hart Trophy and it might be a close race, but in the end, it would still be one that Ovechkin would win.

What separates Ovechkin from the pack this season is that his efforts have carried his rebuilding Capitals team into playoff contention.

Two months ago, the Capitals were dead last in the Eastern Conference and considered out of playoff contention. What changed was two things, a new head coach in Bruce Boudreau, and Ovechkin taking his game to another level.

Boudreau's coaching style appealed to the Capitals, especially Ovechkin. Since the coaching change the talented Russian winger has been tearing it up offensively, sometimes winning games for his team almost singlehandedly.

What's even more impressive about Ovechkin's performance this season is that he's done it on a Capitals team that's still lacking depth at almost all positions.

Granted, things are getting better for the Caps this season in that regard. Rookie center Niklas Backstrom is a Calder contender, defenceman Mike Green is emerging as a quality offensive blueliner, and some veteran additions like Michael Nylander and Viktor Kozlov have bolstered the lineup.

But look at Ovechkin's stats compared to his teammates, and it's obvious who's the driving force behind the Capitals battle for a playoff berth. Take him out of the roster, and the Capitals don't get within sniffing distance of the playoffs.

The Capitals still have a lot of work ahead of them and a playoff berth is no guarantee, but I believe Ovechkin deserves the Hart even if the Caps fail to make the playoffs. Nobody is more valuable to his team this season than Ovechkin.

There appears to be some debate amongst hockey fans and pundits over which player should be awarded the 2007 Hart Trophy as this season’s most valuable player.

The choice has come down to three players: Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier and New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur.

To me, the choice is crystal clear: Crosby is the most valuable player of the 2006-07 season.

At only 19 years of age, Crosby is leading the NHL in points with (as of this writing) 106, ten more than Lecavalier. Barring injury or a slump, Crosby will win the Art Ross trophy as the league’s leading point scorer.

He’s also tied with Joe Thornton with the most assists with 75, and this season he became the youngest player in NHL history to rack up consecutive 100 point seasons.

There is of course no overlooking the performances of Lecavalier and Brodeur.

Lecavalier is well on his way to winning the Richard trophy with currently 48 goals, finally rounding into the consistent offensive force he was projected to be when the Lightning drafted him in 1998.

Brodeur continues to establish himself as one of the game’s greatest goaltenders, notching yet another 40 win season, on pace to possibly break the single-season wins record for netminders (47), leads the league in victories and shutouts and is among the league leaders in save percentage and goals-against average.

However, there are several factors which in my opinion puts Crosby above Lecavalier and Brodeur for the Hart.

First, there’s the age of the three. Brodeur is 34, a fourteen-year NHL veteran who is well established as one of the game’s best goaltenders. Lecavalier is 26, an 8-year NHL veteran, who’s over the past three seasons has begun to establish himself as an elite forward.

Crosby, however, is only 19. He’s still not fully matured as a player, still a teenager, yet he’s been leading the point-scoring race since December over rivals who are older and more experienced. In only his second NHL season, he could win the Art Ross trophy, something not even Wayne Gretzky accomplished at 19, although he did tie for the scoring lead in his rookie season but lost the Art Ross to Marcel Dionne based on goals-scored.

Not to take anything away from Brodeur and Lecavalier, but that's a phenomenal achievement by Crosby, a glimpse of further greatness to come.

Next, there’s the teams these three play for.

Brodeur backstops the New Jersey Devils, since the mid-1990s one of the NHL’s elite clubs. He’s played a major part in keeping the Devils at that status, but it must not be overlooked this year’s Devils club is with veteran players, many of whom were part of previous Devils championship teams. They know what it takes to win and consistently play their system year in and year out.

Lecavalier is a key component of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a club only three years removed from winning its first Stanley Cup title, which has rebounded from a sub-par performance in 2005-06 to battling this season for the Southeast Division title. Like the Devils, it’s a veteran laden team, many of whom were part of the 2004 championship season.

Crosby’s Penguins, on the other hand, are predominantly stocked with young players, all of whom have yet to play a post-season game, let alone win a championship. They weren’t expected to be in playoff contention this season, let alone challenging the Devils for first in the Atlantic Division or finding themselves among the top teams in the East.

On the Penguins, Crosby is clearly the straw that stirs the drink. The second-leading scorer on the team, rookie Evgeny Malkin, is 30 points behind Crosby’s 106 points. Take “Sid the Kid” out of the equation, and the Penguins aren’t a playoff team. It’s that simple.

Crosby isn’t the Penguins captain yet he might as well be. Like Gretzky’s Oilers in the early 1980s, the Pens clearly take their lead from their young superstar. He’s carrying a developing Penguins team into the playoffs, which is a significant achievement.

Finally, there’s the overall value to the league.

Brodeur and Lecavalier are unquestionably great players, but they don’t have the star power of Crosby. For the NHL to improve its visibility, it needs a great superstar, a player who towers over his rivals, a talented player who can attract excitement everywhere he goes.

Crosby, like Gretzky and Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr before him, has those qualities.

Whether fans love him or hate him, they’re interested in Crosby. They’re following his status in the scoring race. They’re marveling at his offensive gifts. They’re thrilled by his play and that of his young, energetic teammates. Crosby and the Penguins are bringing excitement back to the National Hockey League at a crucial time in its long history.

Moreover, does anyone really believe the city of Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania would’ve committed to building a new arena for the Penguins if Crosby and friends hadn’t turned the team into one of the most exciting franchises in the NHL?

Mario Lemieux may have saved the Penguins several times over the years, but he wouldn't have been able to save them this time without Crosby.

Crosby’s detractors claim he’s unworthy of the Hart because, in their eyes, he’s a petulant whiner who takes dives to attract penalties.

Yes, Crosby has complained to officials when penalty calls sometimes don’t go his way. Yes, he’s looked childish at times, and yes, at times he hasn’t been above taking a dive.

Yet there are many NHL veterans who’ve done similar tactics which draw far less criticism. Crosby’s only 19, so immaturity should be expected from him at this point in his career, something hopefully he’ll grow out of it. Older players who continuously act that way have no excuse.

It should also be noted that Crosby has chopped his penalty minutes nearly in half this season, from 110 in 2005-06 to 56 this season. A good number of his penalties last season came from stupid retaliatory penalties and mouthing off at officials. This season, Crosby has learned to keep his temper in check, instead letting his play do the talking.

Besides, Gretzky and Lemieux heard similar complaints from, yet when their careers are recalled, few remember “Whiner Wayne” or “Moaning Mario”, and it certainly didn’t prevent them from winning the Hart Trophy multiple times.

Taking these factors into account, I believe it’s obvious that Sidney Crosby deserves to win the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

Two weeks ago, I posted here that, barring injury, NY Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr would easily win the Art Ross and Richard Trophies as this season's top pointgetter and goalscorer.

It was an honest assessment, after all, two weeks ago Jagr was far ahead of his nearest rivals for points and goals. I wasn't the only one making that assessment, and nobody who commented on that post disagreed with it.

Funny how things can change in a couple of weeks.

This morning, I checked the stats and found that Jagr had been overtaken by two San Jose Sharks, Joe Thornton and his linemate Jonathan Cheechoo, in those respective categories.

As of today, April 16th, Thornton has 125 points to Jagr's 122, while Cheechoo has 56 goals to Jagr's 54, and with only one game remaining for both clubs, Jagr will have to have one of the best games of his career while hoping for the sad-sack LA Kings to shut down Thornton and Cheechoo on Monday in order to regain both crowns.

But why have Thornton and Cheechoo surpassed Jagr for two individual awards the latter appeared to have locked up only two weeks ago?

Quite simply, the Sharks have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL over the last two weeks of the 2005-06 season, while the Rangers have been one of the coldest, and that's translated into big point production for the Sharks duo.

In his last five games, Jagr has posted a very respectable 2-5-7 record, but over the same period, Thornton has gone a dizzying 1-13-14 whilst linemate Cheechoo has posted a mind-boggling 8-4-12 record.

This strong run has heightened calls for Thornton to win the Hart Trophy over Jagr, but at the risk of upsetting Sharks fans, I'll still give the nod to Jagr.

Yes, Thornton helped turn around a moribund Sharks team when he was acquired by them on the night of November 30th, but the Sharks were considered to be a potential Cup contender going into this season. Injuries, particularly to their goaltending tandem, got them off to a slow start. This was a team that already had the talent and ability to be better than they were.

Meanwhile, Jagr was starting the season on a Rangers team that nobody, not even their biggest fans, was giving a chance at making the playoffs this season. All estimations had the Rangers finishing in the basement this season. Thanks in no small part to Jagr, the Blueshirts are in the playoffs for the first time in almost ten years.

Jagr has also been more of a complete offensive player this season than Thornton in terms of goalscoring, presence and overall skills.

But take heart, Sharks fans, because if Thornton carries over his strong performance this season into the coming years, a Hart Trophy could be decorating his mantle soon.

Oh, and one final point for those who are whining that Western Conference players don't get consideration because they're not seen as often by the Eastern-based press: since 2000 three Western Conference players won the Hart. Chris Pronger won it with St. Louis in 2000, Colorado's Joe Sakic won it in 2001 and Peter Forsberg won it when he was with the Avs in 2003.

Furthermore, Calgary's Jarome Iginla narrowly lost in 2002 to then-Montreal Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore, and nobody complained when Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis won it in 2004 since he was clearly the league MVP that season and a big reason why the Lightning won their division.

In fact, since 1980, players on Western based teams have won the Hart trophy 15 times. Wayne Gretzky won it 9 of those times, 8 with the Edmonton Oilers and once with the LA Kings. Mark Messier won in 1990 with the Oilers, Brett Hull won in 1991 with the Blues, and Sergei Fedorov won it in 1994 with the Detroit Red Wings.

In other words, do your research and stop your petulant, baseless ####ing about Eastern bias, because it doesn't stand up to scrutiny with the facts.