Category archive: Boston Bruins
The official description for the Norris Trophy is the player who demonstrates the greatest all-around ability on defense. But Josh Gorges, who has been paired with Norris candidate P.K. Subban down the stretch, suggests some tweaking.
"I always think Norris should be which defenseman has the greatest impact on their team in order to win games," Gorges said.
And his partner certainly fits that description.
"He definitely has got to be mentioned in that conversation," Gorges said.
He's in the conversation, but whether he'll win it is very much in question. Here's a look at the five Norris candidates at the top of my ballot as the season winds down:
1. Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild: When the Wild spent a fortune on Suter and Zach Parise this past summer, the knock on Suter was that Minnesota might have spent A-plus money on a B-plus player. There were questions as to how Suter would respond without Shea Weber on the ice next to him.
Well, those theories were wiped out this season.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
Follow Craig on Twitter: @CraigCustance
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