The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin and the Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon are the three finalists for the 2020-21 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, the NHL announced Saturday.
The trophy is awarded “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association cast their ballots at the end of the regular season and the three top-voted players were named finalists.
Sportsmanship combined with a high standard of play.
Which finalist will be taking home the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy? #NHLAwards @NHLdotcom has more https://t.co/Henp0vGuBW pic.twitter.com/N678HxOx0S
— NHL (@NHL) June 5, 2021
The Lady Byng winner will be announced at an undetermined date during the Stanley Cup Semifinals and Finals.
The two defencemen on the list of finalists, Spurgeon and Slavin, have a chance to become just the fourth player in the position to win the trophy.
This is Matthews’ second-consecutive time as a Lady Byng finalist. The Rocket-Richard winning centre had just 10 total penalty minutes during the regular season — the second-fewest among the league’s 25 top scorers — while averaging 21:33 of ice time.
The 23-year-old would be the first Maple Leafs player to win it since Alexander Mogilny in 2002-03.
Slavin’s name is on the list of finalists for the first time. The Hurricanes defenceman received just one penalty in 52 regular-season games — a puck-over-the-glass delay of game. He averaged almost 23 minutes of ice time to help Carolina win its first division title since 2006.
Slavin, 27, would become just the second Hurricanes player to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, joining Ron Francis, who won it in 2002-03.
The Wild’s first-season captain, Spurgeon was assessed just three minor penalties throughout 52 regular-season games to lead Minnesota to its eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons.
The 31-year-old Spurgeon has played his whole career in Minnesota and would be the first Wild player to win the award.
Last year’s Lady Byng winner, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, was left out of this year’s finalist list.
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