Conn Smythe Trophy - Players that did a lot to win but never did

[Michael Farkas]

I would have had to make a year by year mental check-list before saying he never won it.

Definitely happened to me when Potvin was mentioned...

 

[Staniowski]

In a few weeks, when the Oilers and Leafs meet in the finals, there's gonna be a lot of star forwards...only one of them can win the Conn Smythe.

 

[MS]

Denis Potvin probably could have won 3 Conn Smythes (1980, '81, '83 - Bossy was legit in '82) and is probably the best/most important player in playoff history not to win. The 1981 selection of Goring over Potvin might be the worst Conn Smythe selection in NHL history.

Pronger should also probably have won 2, including one as a member of a losing team.

 

[tabness]

For a guy not mentioned, Coffey has a real good case to have won in 1985. He probably would have as he was pretty comfortably the best player in the world for a stretch late in the season to the start of the playoffs had he not got slashed by Kyte during the Winnipeg series and then got hurt again in practice early in the Chicago series. Still given what the Blackhawks and Flyers were saying and how they were playing him, he was the Oilers top dog even over Gretzky.

 

[jigglysquishy]

The 1981 selection of Goring over Potvin

I get it, but the contemporary reports are quite strong for Goring.

The Evening News · ‎May 1, 1981
Going leads Islanders past Rangers

Without Goring, the Islanders might well have fallen short of the Stanley Cup.

The Rangers outclassed the Islanders in the first period to build a 3-1 lead. So the pesky Goring, one of the premier two-way players in the NHL, took matters into his own hands. With the Rangers on the power play, Goring broke out of his own zone on a two-on-one rush. [and scored]

The opportunistic Goring put the Islanders on top at 12:44, pouncing on the rebound of Gord Lane's shot.

The Day · ‎May 18, 1981
"To me, Goring has been their best player in the series," said Minnesota goalie Gilles Meloche.

The Saturday Windsor Star · ‎May 19, 1981
Goring a Standout

"You don't think of Goring as an offensive threat on this team, not with your Bossys, your Trottiers, your Potvins. But it is Goring who seems to be making more big plays than anybody else," Sonmor said.

The North Stars tied it in the third period before Bossy gets his second. But the Islanders get a penalty. Goring not only helps kill it, he nets the clincher and what proved to be the winner 19 seconds after John Tonelli returns. "The effort by Butch was just outstanding," said Islander coach Al Arbour.


The Hour · ‎May 22, 1981
Sparked by Butch Goring New York build a lead of 3-0 before the North Stars were able to score.

The Spokesman-Review · ‎May 22, 1981
Goring, who earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player and was the Islanders' catalyst throughout the National Hockey League playoffs.

There were many heroes in New York's relentless march to the title, but clearly it was Goring who provided the most important spark.
"Butch was a factor ever since he got here," said Bob Bourne of the Islanders. "He makes such a difference in a leadership role. He took it over in the playoffs. He stood up in the dressing room every time we needed a boost. We needed a guy like that."

 

[Nick Hansen]

Doug Gilmour had a couple of fantastic runs and generally an excellent playoff resume.

Potvin has been mentioned but him never winning it is baffling, it never ceases to surprise me whenever I read about it.

 

[JackSlater]

Doug Gilmour had a couple of fantastic runs and generally an excellent playoff resume.

Potvin has been mentioned but him never winning it is baffling, it never ceases to surprise me whenever I read about it.

Potvin and Pronger, inevitably prominent mentions in this thread, both have worse voting results than you would expect (and than they should have). I don't doubt that their personalities were a factor. Kucherov may have a bit of this as well.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Think Pronger lost in 07 because he got himself suspended. Some talk of the usual “give it to him either way” in 2010 when it was 2-2 but he had a bad game 5 which would have ended that.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Kurri is a tough sell, not to diminish him but is there an Oilers cup you can argue he was the 2nd most important player let alone the most important?

no idts but another name for this thread: tikkanen

if he wins in 1990 i’m not mad at all

and he was arguably better in 91

 

[The Panther]

Which players did more in playoffs run until the Finals in their careers and never won the Playoff MVP? Your picks...

Sorry, just to clarify, does "until the Finals" mean before and not including the Finals, or does it just mean the whole playoffs in general?

If Fedorov name was Sidney Crosby, he would have won it easily.

I agree that Vernon was a poor choice in 1997, but this comment is very uncalled-for.

Fedorov had already won the Hart trophy (the most prestigious individual award) the year prior, and as I recall, was the hype of the hockey world around 1994 (along with Toronto-centric Doug Gilmour).

Lidstrom (a Swede) had won the Conn Smythe a half-decade before 1997.

Hell, a Finn had almost won the Norris in 1977!

This is to say that 1997 was not Nazi-Germany. If voters got it wrong, it wasn't because they wanted a North American name over a European one.

 

[Sergei Bure]

Sorry, just to clarify, does "until the Finals" mean before and not including the Finals, or does it just mean the whole playoffs in general?

The whole playoffs...

 

[Sergei Bure]

I agree that Vernon was a poor choice in 1997, but this comment is very uncalled-for.

Fedorov had already won the Hart trophy (the most prestigious individual award) the year prior, and as I recall, was the hype of the hockey world around 1994 (along with Toronto-centric Doug Gilmour).

Lidstrom (a Swede) had won the Conn Smythe a half-decade before 1997.

Hell, a Finn had almost won the Norris in 1977!

This is to say that 1997 was not Nazi-Germany. If voters got it wrong, it wasn't because they wanted a North American name over a European one.

It wasn't said in that way, but there are certain players that get preferential treatment in those awards, Crosby is one of them, just that.

 

[vikash1987]

1994-2003 Brodeur (21-30 years old), 83 win, 55L, .922, 1.83 GAA, 62 goal saved above average, scored 8 pts even doing so, that is a lot of winning (3 cups, 4xfinals, 5xconference finals).

His save percentage was exactly the same as Roy-Belfour, his winning the same as Roy has well...

Brodeur was widely regarded in the press as a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe in each of the three Cup years (‘95, ‘00, ‘03). His stats were phenomenal/historical in those three playoff runs.

 

[jigglysquishy]

Brodeur was also the clear best for New Jersey in 1994. They made it to game 7 of the conference finals and the media was all over him.

 

[Sergei Bure]

His save percentage was exactly the same as Roy-Belfour, his winning the same as Roy has well...

yeah, but facing less and easier shots...

 

[Staniowski]

Brodeur was widely regarded in the press as a leading candidate for the Conn Smythe in each of the three Cup years (‘95, ‘00, ‘03). His stats were phenomenal/historical in those three playoff runs.

Brodeur wasn't a big factor for New Jersey in '95. He should not have been in any Conn Smythe discussions, if he was.

 

[Buffalowing1988]

Potvin, Kessel , Hasek and Kucherov

I'm one of those weird Sabres fans who sort of discounts Hasek. I mean, he was incredible, but Buffalo built up an actual wall around him for any situations where we weren't trying to score that year.

That Sabres squad was filled with crease clearers (Smehlick, Warrener, and McKee)

And also just crossing the center-ice guys. Peca and Zhitnkik were openly looking to murder a person who threw a wayward pass.

It wasn't like he was some longshot going against the best, Buffalo had designed the team around him at that point.

 

[vikash1987]

Brodeur wasn't a big factor for New Jersey in '95. He should not have been in any Conn Smythe discussions, if he was.

Brodeur was very much in the Conn Smythe running in ‘95, along with Lemieux and Stevens. He didn’t have to carry the team on his shoulders with heavy workloads—a fact which likely worked against him in the final voting—but he was indisputably a big factor throughout the playoffs. His .962 Sv% (3 shutouts) and .943 Sv% in the opening two rounds, his clutch/timely saves in key moments, etc. Just ask John Leclair and Kris Draper

The funny thing is that, at the time, he was earning league minimum salary-wise!

 

[MadLuke]

yeah, but facing less and easier shots...

The often heard narrative is the other way around (that it hurt save percentage facing less shots).... not that there is any correlation between those 2 stats at all in the top 50 goaltender of that era in the playoff (it is even a miniscule negative in the more shot the worse the save percentage)

He did have 23.3 shot per 60 instead of 28.4 for Roy or 26.6 for Belfour

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Lidstrom (a Swede) had won the Conn Smythe a half-decade before 1997.

Hell, a Finn had almost won the Norris in 1977!

The other way around: he won it a half decade after 1997. And Salming were Swedish!

I agree it’s probably not anti-Euro bias working against Fedorov in 1997, however it would be interesting seeing who the voters were and their thoughts on the old Soviets.

 

[The Panther]

The other way around: he won it a half decade after 1997. And Salming were Swedish!

I agree it’s probably not anti-Euro bias working against Fedorov in 1997, however it would be interesting seeing who the voters were and their thoughts on the old Soviets.

Not sure what the hell I was thinking when I wrote that... Maybe my bllood-sugar was low this morning.

To clarify, yes, I was thinking of Salming (Swede) in 1977 and Lidstrom in 2002... so, the latter wasn't even relevant.

 

[Staniowski]

Brodeur was very much in the Conn Smythe running in ‘95, along with Lemieux and Stevens. He didn’t have to carry the team on his shoulders with heavy workloads—a fact which likely worked against him in the final voting—but he was indisputably a big factor throughout the playoffs. His .962 Sv% (3 shutouts) and .943 Sv% in the opening two rounds, his clutch/timely saves in key moments, etc. Just ask John Leclair and Kris Draper

The funny thing is that, at the time, he was earning league minimum salary-wise!

Save percentage doesn't tell us the story of what happened or how well the goalie played.

What's the absolute easiest way for a team to have a high save percentage? It's not by having a goalie play really well; rather, it's by having the goalie doing very little...in other words, by having the team give up very few scoring chances.

New Jersey's very high save percentage in the '95 playoffs was primarily a result of the defensive (and offensive) domination of the team, led by Lemaire's coaching, and implented almost perfectly by the players (especially the forwards), which resulted in very few quality scoring chances against the Devils.

A dearth of scoring chances against, is the number one reason why the '95 Devils won the Cup.

A dearth of scoring chances against, almost always produces a high save percentage, and it's the main reason for it. It's the single greatest reason why teams strive to play good team defense.

Save percentage doesn't do a very good job of informing us about a goaltender's play.

 

[JackSlater]

I'm one of those weird Sabres fans who sort of discounts Hasek. I mean, he was incredible, but Buffalo built up an actual wall around him for any situations where we weren't trying to score that year.

That Sabres squad was filled with crease clearers (Smehlick, Warrener, and McKee)

And also just crossing the center-ice guys. Peca and Zhitnkik were openly looking to murder a person who threw a wayward pass.

It wasn't like he was some longshot going against the best, Buffalo had designed the team around him at that point.

I don't think people are interested. Buffalo had a defensive team built to Hasek's strengths by the late 90s, and in 1999 had the best offence in the playoffs through three rounds. Obviously he was still the most important player on that team and was excellent, but people talk as if he was carrying a junior team to the finals. Hasek was also excellent in 2002 but a lot of Red Wings had Conn Smythe type playoffs that year. I will admit that Forsberg was the best player in the 2002 playoffs.

 

[Vujtek]

Here are some Conn Smythe voting results related excerpts I gathered from various online newspapers few years ago:

1965:

"general opinion in these parts is that NHL governors should be herded to the saliva box if they fail to name Montreal's master craftsman Jean Beliveau for the new Conn Smythe Trophy and the loot that goes with it . . . unfortunately only three NHL governors, named to act as the Smythe Trophy selection committee, have bothered to attend the Stanley Cup tournament games . . . ballots are to be filed with President Clarence Campbell after tonight's game at the Forum, and the presentation made to the honored player immediately after the historic basin is handed out"

"Is awarded to "the most valuable player for his team in the entire playoffs." Selection for the award was made by the NHL's six governors as their representatives. They filed ballots at the conclusion of Saturday night's game, submitting their vote to league president Clarence Campbell."

"Hall and Hawks' Bobby Hull were the Chicago players in the running for the award, which also carried a $1,000 cash bonus to the winner. Beliveau and J.C. Tremblay were the pick of the Montrealers and the six NHL governors, who selected the winner in a vote after the final game of the series, had to make up their minds between the four."

1985:

Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy, which goes to the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs. He beat out teammates Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri and Grant Fuhr for the award.

“Winning the Conn Smythe Trophy is a great thing,” Gretzky said. “From my heart I wish I could put Paul’s (Coffey) name next to mine. It must have been the closest vote in the history of the award.

1986:

"Another Montreal rookie, Claude Lemieux, was second in the voting."

1988:

"Gretzky won the Smythe ahead of teammates Grant Fuhr and Mark Messier".

1995:

"Lemieux's closest competition for the award came from goaltender Martin Brodeur and defenseman Scott Stevens."

1996:

"Sakic beat out Roy, a two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner with Montreal in 1986 and 1993."

1997:

"Yzerman was the leading scorer in the playoffs, with six goals and 18 assists in 22 games. He was the runner-up to teammate Mike Vernon in last season's Conn Smythe balloting, but was clearly the best player in this postseason." (from 1998)

1998:

"How do you feel?" someone asked captain Steve Yzerman, who was a unanimous choice for the Conn Smythe as the best player in the playoffs."

1999:

"Belfour came up with 53 saves in game 6 to win a final in his second try. He was edged out by teammate Joe Nieuwendyk for the Conn Smythe as playoff most valuable player."

2002:

"Our team had won two Stanley Cups then ('99), but my family made a decision to stay in Detroit and we felt very comfortable with it. This is very sweet now, winning again".(Lidström quote)

"So is winning the Conn Smythe, in a vote where Hasek, Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Brett Hull were also candidates."

2015:

The Chicago Blackhawks defenseman was a unanimous choice for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after a 2-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center on Monday that gave the Blackhawks their third championship in six seasons. Duncan Keith beat out 2010 winner Jonathan Toews and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman for the award.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

I guess in any other time and place, someone with this kind of production
wpuld have got a CS