The Vancouver Canucks final home game of the season on Tuesday was Fan Appreciation Night but it was also a chance for the fans to show their appreciation, as the team announced the fan-voted team awards.
The announcements were made during stoppages throughout the night, with the first announcements coming in the first period.
To no one's surprise, the likely Norris winner as the best defenceman in the NHL was also named the Canucks' best defenceman, winning the Babe Pratt Trophy: Quinn Hughes.
Hughes has been incredible this season, breaking his own franchise record for most points by a Canucks defenceman with 91 points in 80 games heading into Tuesday.
The Pavel Bure Award for the team's most exciting player was given to J.T. Miller, who has lit up the scoreboard all year with his first-ever 100+ point season. He's also lit up his opponents with 214 hits, behind only Dakota Joshua. Miller's power game has led to some highlight reel goals that have brought fans out of their seats this season and also had them voting for him in droves.
Two more awards were announced during the second period.
For the second season in a row, Dakota Joshua took home the Fred J. Hume Award as the Canucks' unsung hero. Evidently, Joshua's praises were not sung sufficiently this season, making his impressive season that has seen him climb into an occasional top-six role worthy of unsung hero status.
The big surprise of the night is that Quinn Hughes — who may end up on some Hart Trophy ballots as the NHL's most valuable player — did not win the Cyclone Taylor Trophy for the Canucks' most valuable player. Hughes has been the engine of the team's puck possession all season.
Instead, J.T. Miller won the fan vote, riding his team-leading point total to the victory. There's no denying Miller's importance to the Canucks this season. The centre has been a beast in the faceoff circle, played in all situations, and piled up the goals and assists on a consistent basis. According to the fan vote, he's been more valuable than anyone else on the Canucks this year.
The awards not dependent on the fan vote were announced prior to the game.
J.T. Miller won the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy as the team's leading scorer, as he came into the night with 102 points, landing him in the top ten in the NHL. No one on the Canucks is catching him for that prize.
Quinn Hughes, who honoured first responders and raised money for the Professional Fire Fighters' Fund with his Team 43 initiative this season, was given the Daniel & Henrik Sedin Award for Community Leadership.
With the most three stars selections this season, Elias Pettersson took home the Three Stars Award.
More to come...
