5 New Jersey Devils Who Can Win Awards This Season

P.K. Subban – Lady Byng Trophy

The votes never really come in for P.K. Subban when it comes to the Lady Byng Trophy. That’s despite pledging $10 million to help open a children’s hospital, went to Haiti to bring hockey to an underserved community, started P.K.’s Helping Hand to help kids with illnesses, he started the Blueline Buddies foundation to invite a local police officer or sheriff’s deputy to every game with a young member of the community to close the divide, and a lot of other community efforts that go unlisted. Subban is probably the most philanthropical player in hockey, and maybe even in all of sport.

Yet, Subban has never had even one Lady Byng vote. The definition for the Lady Byng Trophy is “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability”. Maybe Subban didn’t bring the latter of that definition last season, but what more can he do to get consideration for the Lady Byng?

Last season, Will Butcher got two votes for the Lady Byng (he was not good on the ice), Kyle Okposo got a vote (he was worse than Butcher), and Auston Mathews was second in voting (he was involved in a very seedy incident with a female cop in the offseason that, while we don’t know all the details, definitely did not make the league look great). Subban’s unwarranted reputation is the reason he’s never considered for the award. His social media presence (which will make him money well after his NHL career is over), his locker room activities (which are mostly rumors), and his propensity to be in the news beyond his hockey play (which usually isn’t a bad thing) are not reasons to ignore his immense charitable efforts. If he could bounce back on the ice, he needs to not only get Lady Byng votes, but he should win.