It’s called the Lionel Conacher Award and The Canadian Press polls sports writers, editors and broadcasters across Canada to get the results. Price won rather easily as the press release from CP details:
“The Montreal Canadiens goaltender won the Lionel Conacher Award in a landslide,” CP wrote on their website Sunday. “The 28-year-old took 53 per cent of the vote in a Canadian Press poll of sports editors and broadcasters across the country. Sprinter Andre de Grasse was second with 28 per cent.”
No question, the native of Anahim Lake, B.C. had a season for the ages in 2014-15. He finished with a 46-16-6 record with nine shutouts and led the league in goals against average (1.96) and save percentage (.933).
He won four major awards, the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP; the Vezina as the best goaltender; the Williams M. Jennings Award (tied with Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks) for the team allowing the least goals; and the Ted Lindsay Award as the outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHLPA.
“This one’s special,” Price said of this latest win. “Being compared with athletes from other sports, it’s unique for me. I’m very honoured. It’s something I’ll look back at the end of my athletic career and probably highlight one of these as one of the top.”
He’s the first hockey goaltender ever to win the Lionel Conacher Award for Canadian Male Athlete of the Year, and the first NHL player to win it since Sidney Crosby in 2010.
Earlier this month he was also named the winner of the Lou Marsh Award, given by the Toronto Star, as the Canadian Athlete of the Year for 2015.
Now he just has to work on getting that other trophy.
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