The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.
The award is usually voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, but will be subject to our panel today.
In a landslide victory, the Selke Trophy remains with the Boston Bruins this year as Patrice Bergeron wins with double the voting points of the next highest player (Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks), although Bergeron received only two of nine first place votes.
Bergeron is easily the most respected Bruin among Habs fans, and for the first time in a long while, his play superseded Zdeno Chara as best on the Bruins roster.
If there is any indication of how important Bergeron is to the Bruins, it can be gleaned from the few games he missed with a concussion this season. Boston went from an elite team to a far below average team with Bergeron out of the lineup. He is the straw that stirs the drink both offensively and defensively.
At 62.0%, Patrice Bergeron has the second best Fenwick at even strength in the entire NHL. It’s tough to overstate the brilliance of Bergeron this season.
