Four Senators landed on the NHL's "Most Punchable Face" list.
Whether it's winning a division, a Stanley Cup, or a Hart Trophy, it's hard to win an annual trophy award in consecutive years.
That includes the Athletic's annual player poll to decide on the Most Punchable Face in the NHL.
No, it may not be a title anyone actually wants, but with the sheer volume of players who've chosen the greasy rat role, the competition is fierce for this unprestigious, uncoveted award. So going back to back isn't easy.
The Athletic anonymously polled 120 NHL players this season, and based on the responses, it's not clear if they voted based on a player's annoying on-ice behaviour, or because the look of the player's face makes them choose violence, or maybe they've already punched the player in the face and can't wait to do it again.
Anyway, for the second straight year, Senators winger Nick Cousins won the vote at 24.3 percent. On the bright side, that's down from last year, when he won at 28.5 percent. So his face may be starting to win people over.
But it was still deemed to be the one most in need of a good punching.
For those of you scoring at home, the podium remains unchanged from last season's punchability standings, with Cousins leading the way, followed by Florida's Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk, who finished second and third in the voting.
After that, there was no one particularly close to any of the three medalists. Conor Garland gave it his all, but the drop off from Tkachuk's bronze-winning face to Garland's fourth-place face is steep.
Nick Cousins 24.3%
Brad Marchand 19.6
Matthew Tkachuk 10.3%
Conor Garland 4.7%
Joel Erikson Ek 4.7%
Garnet Hathaway 2.8%
Sam Bennett 2.8%
Brendan Gallagher 1.9%
Dylan Larkin 1.9%
Michael Bunting 1.9%
Nikita Zadorov 1.9%
Tim Stutzle 1.9%
Trevor Zegras 1.9%
It was something of a surprise to see 1.9% of voters being down with hauling off and cold-cocking Ottawa star centre Tim Stutzle, especially ahead of some of the shift disturbers listed above him.
Senators wingers Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Cozens were among 21 players who got a single vote apiece, though it's easy to believe that Cozens' inclusion was by error. Not all NHL players are great at spelling, so perhaps one voter got Rich Cuz mixed up with Poor Cuz, now your reigning two-time champion.
Joy to the world.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa
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