Photo credit: The Hockey News
The NHL awards presentation is being dropped from television as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recognized that fans just aren't that interested in it anymore.
The NHL has decided it's time for a change. One of its major events is being revamped, and it will look quite different moving forward.
On "Saturday's Headlines," Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet reported that the NHL awards presentation will no longer be a traditional show.
"What the league is looking at in combination with the Players' Association, is what else can they do that's interesting, what else can they do that will make the awards special," Friedman said. "A couple of things have been thrown out. One of the ideas is doing it the way the NBA does it.
The NBA, during the first week of the playoffs, will honour the winners at their home arenas.
These are the kind of things that are being considered because it's not expected this year that there will be an awards show as we've seen it in the past."
The NBA, during the first week of the playoffs, will honour the winners at their home arenas.
These are the kind of things that are being considered because it's not expected this year that there will be an awards show as we've seen it in the past."
Friedman added that it's unlikely there will be an awards show this year as we've seen in the past.
Fans have been asking for changes to the event for years. Recently there were calls to rename the Lady Byng Trophy in honor of Johnny Gaudreau who was tragically killed along with his brother Matthew in a biking accident in New Jersey.
One of the main problems with the awards show is that the winners of major trophies like the Art Ross (most points), Maurice «Rocket» Richard (most goals & Conn Smythe (Stanley Cup MVP) are already known before the event. The NHL has also been criticized for featuring lesser-known celebrities during the show.
Another benefit of cutting the awards show, according to Friedman, is reducing the number of end-of-season events, which he said can feel overwhelming.
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