The Chicago Blackhawks had another player announced as a finalist for an end-of-the-year award Thursday. Patrick Kane was named a finalist for the Lady Byng trophy, the prize awarded to the league's most sportsmanlike player.
Kane was announced as a finalist along with the Islanders' Matt Moulson and Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis. This is causing some to point out that Kane does not belong in the company of these other two players.
Personally, I believe that St. Louis will come out of this with his third Lady Byng. However, the criticisms leveled at Kane are not so much about his play on the ice as his behavior off of it.
That's not just misguided—it's also not fair.
Look, Kane had just eight penalty minutes in the regular season. That doesn't necessarily earn him a sportsmanship trophy. On the other hand, people need to remember that this is an award given out to the NHL's model citizen—on the ice.
No one is denying that Kane has something of a checkered past when it comes to non-hockey activities. The point that is being missed is that the Lady Byng is a sportsmanship trophy, not ...
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Article written by Jon Fromi
Chicago Blackhawks: Leave Patrick Kane’s Off-Ice Antics Out of Lady Byng Talk
May 17th, 2013 by Jon Fromi Leave a reply »
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