Undeserved Award Winner

[VanCanWin 180]

In the history of the VHL there have been certain individual performances that were celebrated more because of who the player is the what he has accomplished. This is no different that anything else in life and so why should we expect any different? That being said, there are still some awards that were handed out in the past that definitely shouldn’t have been. One particular example of this is taken from way back in Season 2. His name is Maxim Desny.

 

Maxim was a very well known goaltender who was property of the Boston Bruins before he skipped out and joined the VHL. Some look back on this as a signature moment in the VHL’s stories history, a moment that changed the landscape of the league forever.  Many players followed suit in the seasons following where they left their NHL dreams behind as they realized there were other professional hockey routes they could take and the VHL was fast becoming a viable alternative. All of this made Desny a person and player that was beloved, not just by his teams fans but by all VHL fans alike. 

 

After a solid first season in the league, Desny began his second season playing on a struggling and still building team. His defence in front of him was porous. Yet, Desny was such a highly touted prospect that everyone thought he would stand on his head for his team anyways. As the season went on, Desny displayed a maturity and leadership unparalleled in the league and mostly in any professional sport. This led him to being nominated as the best leader in the VHL that season. That award was justified. There was an award however that he won and definitely should not have. 

 

The voters for the awards looked at Desny’s season expecting a breakout year and had certain blinders over their eyes. They realized his numbers were awful. Yet they put the blame on his porous defence. This is even justified. His defence really was awful. Still, there was no way he was the best goaltender, statistically, that season. He had the most losses and a GAA of 4.40. Regardless of the situation and circumstance, there were goalies in the league who had better seasons and so Desny won an award as the top goaltender when it was clear he shouldn’t have. 

 

So why did Desny win it? The reasons really are clear. He won it because of who he was as a person, not because of how well he played that year. Desny has an awful statistical year. He did not follow up his rookie season with the breakout everyone was expecting. He did not stand on his head enough to win his teams enough hockey games. He was not the best goaltender that season. Desny was a fantastic person, a talented hockey player, and a building block for his team and the VHL. He was put on a pedestal by the league because of who he was and what he had done off the ice and the voting committee used this predetermined opinion of him and his talents, ignored the statistics, and voted him as the leagues best goaltender for season 2.

533 words theme week.

[VanCanWin 180]

7 hours ago, Tate said:

Interesting history piece, really cool to learn about Desny. I've really enjoyed this theme week because of getting to learn about players like Desny, great job on this

I appreciate the kind words, my friend!