Before the G5 win last night, I made a post about the Conn Smythe race over at Cycle Like Sedins. Mostly I covered a bit of why Leach won it (19G was a record that has since by tied by Jari Kurri), explained that I didn’t think he deserved it (5 of his 19 goals came in a single game against the Bruins, he only had 5 assists to go with his goal totals. Then I pretty much awarded my completely fictional and non-counting vote for giving the trophy to Chris Osgood as a sort of lifetime achievement award.

The guy has never recieved any individual accolades except for a few Jennings trophies and a single all-star team, but he’s going to finish near the tops of a lot of counting categories for goalies, through a combination of luck, team effect, and individual performance. If there isn’t a clear cut winner, voters typically tend to go for the winning goalie. Especially given his playoff performance versus his regular season performance, I’d like to see Ozzie get it as an award for a long career of fairly solid performance. He’s no world beater, and I don’t think he belongs in the HHOF, but there’s no reason he can’t get some props for what he is: a pretty decent goalie, who has performed at a consistent level for a very long time, and been an important part of some very special teams.

Though I have reservations about giving the award to someone on a team that may lose, it should go to either Malkin or Crosby.

Both of them are the most valuable to their team. The Red Wings proved in Chicago and the first two games of this series that they can lose several major components of their team and still be very much functional.

It’s not to say Lidstrom and Datsyuk aren’t valuable, rather that the Penguins organization revolves around Crosby and Malkin much more than Detroit does Zetterberg or Franzen.

The Red Wings fan in me would like to see it go to Osgood for the sentiments posted above by Joe, but despite his sound performance to this point—certainly the best of the goalies making it to the conference finals—I wouldn’t say he’s been the crux of their playoff run.

Zetterberg is really the only Red Wing I can envision winning. If the Wings close it out in six, he picks up a few key points whilst keeping Malkin and Crosby off the score sheet, then the gap isn’t that disparate between them. He’d be decisively better than both defensively, while at least in the same ballpark as both offensively.

Zetterberg’s been on the ice for four empty net goals for and none against. Even crazier is that he’s scored all four of those. That inflates his stats quite a bit.

I’m more of a +/- guy than a goals-and-assists guy, so I prefer Crosby for the Conn Smythe over Malkin. On a team that’s just +2 overall, being a +9 over 22 games is pretty good.

I probably go with Osgood, pending his results in the next game or two. He gets help, sure, but at some point a .927 save percentage has to mean something. (And a ludicrous .952 at even strength.)

As my drug-addled memory serves (read: hopefully doesn’t fail to serve), the Conn Smythe winner is voted on by select members of the PHWA, including every Detroit and Pittsburgh-based member.

Voting typically takes place early in the third period of a potential elimination game, but the secret ballots are destroyed in the event that the series is extended.

Therefore, if Osgood is en route to shutting out the Pens after two periods on Tuesday, the odds of him winning the vote go up, regardless of his potential to later allow Malkin to score a natural hattie that sends the game to OT. Conversely, if Malkin nets an early hat-trick, but then Zetterberg scores three in the third to come from behind and win the Cup, maybe Geno takes home the consolation prize.

Either way, if the series goes back to Detroit for Game 7, a lot will depend on who does what in Game 6. Another road-loss by Osgood hurts his chances, given that voting would have been completed before his potential Game 7 victory. As things stand today, I can easily see Malkin taking the Award, and almost anything that happens in a Game 6 Pittsburgh win would almost clinch it for him. If I was casting a ballot after two periods on Tuesday, there is very little Osgood or Zetterberg could have done over the previous 40 minutes to sway me.

A good game by Zetterberg, however, coupled with a win by Pittsburgh, goes a long way toward closing the gap. Osgood almost needs to stop all 35 shots directed his way over the first two periods AND a Game 6 win.

So how accurate are those claims, James?

Are you allowed to vote? Does the voting still take place before the final siren? Can you envision a scenario where Osgood loses Game 6, yet still wins the balloting before winning Game 7?

A Conn Smythe winner should lead his team, which doesn’t always mean getting the most points. He has lost his cool several times already in the series and has drawn multiple (really stupid) penalties that have cost his team dearly. He might win it if the Pens manage to come back (unlikely), but NO WAY should he even be considered if the Wings go on as expected.

I’ll be sorely disappointed if the trophy goes to Osgood. I could live with Zetterberg, I wouldn’t argue with Franzen at all, but Osgood’s been shown repeatedly to be a product of his team. He’s like the bizarro Bert Blyleven: Bly would probably be in the HOF if he hadn’t played on such terrible teams through most of his career, and Ozzy will probably get into the HOF because he spent so much time with the Wings.