Tampa Bay Lightning star Martin St. Louis will not get the chance to represent his country at the Winter Olympics again in 2014. He could end up bringing home some more individual hardware at the NHL level though. St. Louis is the reigning Lady Bying Memorial Trophy winner, which is awarded to the, “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” St. Louis is one of the most skilled forwards in the NHL, and his desire and the way he plays the game make him an ideal candidate to win the award for the fourth time, with NHL futures odds available with sites that offer online betting services.
St. Louis isn’t the only player in position to win the award for the fourth time or more this season, as Detroit Red Wings’ center Pavel Datsyuk takes aim at what would be a record-tying fifth Lady Bying Memorial Trophy. Datsyuk has already won the award on four different occasions – one behind Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record. Datsyuk hasn’t won the award since 2008-09, but he has averaged nearly a point per game with 32 points in 35 games, and he has just six penalty minutes on the season, which makes him an ideal candidate for the award.
Those numbers put Datsyuk right behind St. Louis as a potential candidate to win the award, as the Lightning forward has 43 points in 46 games, and just four penalty minutes. Unlike Datsyuk, St. Louis won’t be headed to Sochi for the Olympics. Also unlike Datsyuk, St. Louis has been able to stay healthy, and that will also factor in to the decision process. Criticized for being too small and told time and again that he would never be able to make it at the NHL level, St. Louis has persevered time and again, and this season has been no different.
As for the potential for a first-time winner, Chicago Blackhawks’ defensemen Duncan Keith could be at the top of the list as one of the league’s premier rearguards, and a player that plays the game the right way. Keith has registered 44 points in 48 games this season to lead all defensemen, and he is the only one that ranks in the top-20 in the NHL in scoring. Keith has only six penalty minutes to this point in the year, which is incredible considering the position he plays. St. Louis and Datsyuk may be the frontrunners as past award winners, but Keith is the dark horse pick as a defensemen that has played at an elite level this season.
Unlike some of the other individual awards that are given out based on points alone, the Lady Bying Memorial trophy is a true testament to the complete player that is able to excel from a production standpoint, while also not hurting his team by taking penalties or playing the game the wrong way. St. Louis, Datsyuk, and Keith are all perfect examples of this type of player, and they all deserve to be candidates to win the award. For a full list of NHL futures awards, be sure to check out the pay per head sites.
Author Bio:
Jonny Doveless is a sports enthusiast who was recently searching for help managing his own online betting services when he discovered Pay Per Head software. He was blown away by how helpful and efficient their product is, and highly recommends that all of his readers visit the pay per head sites to see for themselves how simple their services are to use.
