Well, not really, as smiles should generally abound given the area will likely be ponying up half a billion bones for an expansion franchise soon. But if the annual NHL Awards show is anything, it’s the event’s penchant for drawing criticism, be it the mostly not-so-A list “celebrity” participants and bizarre presentation inaccuracies.
Hey Kevin Smith: tonight may be the perfect opportunity to violate that non-disclosure agreement you signed with Lucasfilm if things go south in a hurry…
But those are just another few reasons why we love this league: the ability to go it’s own path, warts and all.
Whatever the case, we don’t watch for the fluff, we stick around for the moments. And Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad may have a pretty significant one of his own this evening as he lines up with fellow Calder Trophy finalists Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary) and Mark Stone (Ottawa) to find out who will be last season’s rookie of the year.
Here’s the schedule and presenters of each award via the NHL; the show can be seen on NBCSN and Sportsnet (we’ll check on streaming options as it gets underway).
Go Ek, go!