As expected, the NHL decided it was time to announce the winner of the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the league on Tuesday morning. Much like other announcements, it came in the form of a video of the moment Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Lane Hutson was surprised with the trophy a week and a half ago.
His family told the 21-year-old that he was attending a fundraiser, but when they arrived at the event and saw about 50 of his friends and family members, he was told it was a party to celebrate his Calder nomination. He smiled before telling people they didn’t have to come.
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As humble as ever, when he was surprised with the trophy, the youngster expressed his gratitude for being part of the Canadiens and stated that he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of his friends and family. Even when speaking to the media, he refused to take any credit for winning the coveted prize, instead praising the organization, the coach, and his teammates for the opportunities he had been given throughout the season.
Hutson spoke to the media briefly following the announcement, and unsurprisingly, he did so from a hockey rink. The blueliner is not one to take too much rest, and he clarified that he was attending a Bauer combine, trying out net sticks and equipment.
When he was asked by Sportsnet’s Eric Engels where his work ethic came from, he essentially said that it’s all down to him doing what he likes. In other words, for Hutson, there’s no work ethic involved because for him, hockey is not work, it’s just what he loves doing more than anything else in the world. That makes sense considering he was never able to stay off the ice on his days off this season, unless the team forbade him from skating, which happened once or twice.
Hutson dominated the voting for the Calder Trophy just like he dominated the scoring race in the season. One hundred ninety-one members of the media voted for the award, and each of them had Hutson on their ballot, either in first place (165 votes) or second place (26 votes). In total, that gave him 1832 points, 663 points ahead of the second-place player, Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf. As for the first-overall pick at the last draft, San Jose Sharks' Macklin Celebrini, he finished third in voting with 1104 points. Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov came in fourth place with 645 points, receiving no first-place votes and only eight second-place ones.
Hutson is the first Canadiens player to win the Calder Trophy since legendary goaltender Ken Dryden did it in 1971-72. Quite an achievement, and the man himself recorded a congratulatory message for Hutson, essentially telling him that he and the Canadiens had proved the naysayers wrong and that they were now on their way to accomplishing even bigger things.
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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