September 6th, 2010
Pre-show: Red Carpet Arrivals
The red carpet is a go, the fans turned out in full force and we’re now about 10 minutes from the start of the 2010 AFHL Awards ceremony at Hotel Le St. James in Montreal, Quebec.
Hello everyone. This is Harry Beaver speaking to you from the gondola in my dining room in front of my modest home entertainment center. I’ll be bringing you the action right here at theAFHL.com, award by award, via live blogging. There will be 14 handed out in all tonight.
That said, the red carpet arrivals are about to begin.
6:00 PM: A red carpet is seen leading into the front of the hotel. The carpet is roped off and there’s a crowd a few people deep on each side who are screaming for the first arrival.
6:01 PM: Toronto Red Devils GM Jordan Carbone has arrived.
6:02 PM: Carbone is wearing a black tuxedo with a red bowtie.
6:04 PM: Jeremy Piven aka Ari Gold from Entourage is already inside the hotel, preparing as the Host of the show. He had a few drinks earlier in the day, to calm his nerves.
6:05 PM: Piven wants the show to feel spontaneous, like a party.
6:06 PM: Lexington Leg Hounds GM Garry Megibben has arrived. Megibben cheeses it up with a pair of supermodels during a photo ops.
6:09 PM: Vancouver Heroes GM Ben Rauscher and Washington Power GM Ray Irwin have arrived together.
6:10 PM: Rauscher and Irwin greet St. John’s Red Wings GM Barry Hickey as he arrives.
6:12 PM: Carbone is talking to Garry Megibben about having both Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall on his team. It’s possible Hall and Seguin will play on the same line to start the season.
6:15 PM: Several players have arrived including Alex Ovechkin of the Leafs, Ryan Miller of the Heroes, and Evgeni Malkin of the Giants.
6:17 PM: Ryan Miller just proclaimed in an interview that he wants to purchase a home in Vancouver.
6:18 PM: Calgary Hitmen GM Grahame Booth has arrived. Booth greets his goaltender, Jonathan Quick. Booth acquired Quick in a trade earlier in the off-season.
6:22 PM: Goldsboro Rebels GM Rich Mauch has arrived.
6:23 PM: Mauch will be presenting one of the awards, but won’t specify which one.
6:25 PM: Boston Giants GM Mike Phelan has arrived.
6:26 PM: Ottawa Knights GM Ryan Armstrong has arrived.
6:28 PM: Buffalo Phantoms GM Daryn Beckman, a nominee for GM of the year, has arrived.
6:29 PM: Several London Mustangs players have arrived with the AFHL Stanley Cup.
6:33 PM: Hollywood Stars GM Mike Basset has arrived.
6:34 PM: Bassett tells a reporter that Martin Brodeur should win the Vezina trophy. GM Rauscher overhears and shouts “What world are you living in!?”. Rauscher believes Ryan Miller will win the Vezina.
6:37 PM: Deer Park Chiefs GM Mike Nellany has arrived. Nellany is a nominee for a surprise award tonight.
6:38 PM: Fort Drum Killers GM Steven Stryska has arrived. He’s wearing a classic tuxedo T-shirt that says “Hey I’m formal but I’m also here to party.”
6:40 PM: More players have arrived including Sidney Crosby of the Phantoms and Alex Ovechkin of the Leafs.
6:44 PM: Los Banos Wolves GM Andrew Fiorentino has arrived.
6:46 PM: Fiorentino says he’s “thrilled to be here” in an interview with a news reporter.
6:49 PM: Stanley Cup winning GM Blake Wilson of the London Mustangs has arrived. Wilson shakes hands with GM Irwin and several others.
6:50 PM: Oshawa City Leafs GM Earl McNeill has arrived.
6:51 PM: Rauscher greets McNeill and offers him a trade for one of his prospects. McNeill responds with “Give me Ryan Miller.”
6:53 PM: Victoria Vipers GM Chris Hartley-Romero has arrived. He greets Jack Campbell whom he drafted 3rd overall in the Entry Draft.
6:55 PM: Montreal Xtreme GM Keith Cancilla has arrived.
6:57 PM: North Bay Warriors GM Mike Brunetta has arrived. He greets his good friend Ryan Armstrong.
6:59 PM: Bartender shouts “Last call for borbet at the bar!”
7:00 PM: Manhattan Supermen GM / AFHL Commissioner Anthony Furino has arrived.
7:01 PM: Furino is acknowledging his fans and fellow GMs. He wants them to know how much they mean to him. He knows they are the backbone of the league and without them, he wouldn’t be here.
7:03 PM: Furino is still shaking hands with several fans. The fans are appreciative. And now he is going to shake… woah… we’ve got… a fan is doing the Fake-Out Handshake… and, he’s done it again. Two Fake-Out Handshakes. Not really the time or the place to see something like this. Oh, now they’re going to hug… and apparently he is… no… he’s Faking-Out with the Hug. A clearly rattled Anthony Furino, but wisely, he is moving on from that moment.
7:07 PM: All GMs and players have arrived.
7:08 PM: A man in a crowd of fans has just jumped over the guardrail and onto the red carpet. The man is identified as Don Vincent, former GM of the Hamilton Outlaws. Vincent was fired and kicked out of the league at the beginning of the offseason.
7:10 PM: Several police officers rush Vincent as Commissioner Furino explains to him that he was not invited to the Awards Show.
7:11 PM: Vincent is handcuffed and dragged off of the red carpet and into a police car.
7:15 PM: We see a sneak peak into the staging and seating for the big night.
7:30 PM: Red Carpet draws to a close.
The Main Event – 2010 AFHL Awards Show
8:00 PM: The first ever AFHL Awards show has officially kicked off with a “rousing” performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
8:05 PM: Host Jeremy Piven is introduced.
8:07 PM: Commissioner Furino takes the stage alongside Piven to honor the London Mustangs as Blake Wilson, Zach Parise, and Rick Nash carried the Stanley Cup to the stage.
8:08 PM: A video tribute to the Mustangs is shown on the Big Screen. The tribute includes their remarkable playoff run, defeating the Leafs in the 1st round, Phantoms in the 2nd round, and Heroes in the Finals. The tribute closes out with a re-created scene from the movie Slapshot and one of Jeremy Piven’s famous funny lines from his show Entourage.
8:10 PM: Piven introduces hall of fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer, to present the first award of the night.
——
Norris Trophy
For the top defenseman
Nominees – Mike Green (Washington Power), Chris Pronger (Hollywood Stars), Duncan Keith (St. John’s Red Wings), Drew Doughty (Winnipeg Wheat Kings), Dan Boyle (Vancouver Heroes)
And the winner is… Duncan Keith (St. John’s Red Wings)
Duncan Keith scored 14 goals, 55 assists for a total of 69 points. He also boasted a +21 plus/minus rating, scored 16 points on the PP, and 5 points short-handed.
—–
8:20 PM: Piven introduces a surprise guest to present the next award. The audience begins to laugh as Flava Flavv appears on the stage.
—–
Trash-Talker Award
For the best trash-talker
Nominees – Daryn Beckman (Buffalo Phantoms), Jordan Carbone (Toronto Red Devils), Mike Nellany (Deer Park Chiefs), Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes)
The co-winners are… Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes) and Mike Nellany (Deer Park Chiefs)
Ironically, both of these GMs clashed several times throughout the year and currently have one of the biggest rivalries in AFHL History.
—–
8:20 PM: Piven introduces the seven new AFHL GMs to present the next award. Andrew Fiorentino (Los Banos Wolves), Chris Hartley-Romero (Victoria Vipers), Keith Cancilla (Montreal Xtreme), Rich Mauch (Goldsboro Rebels), Grahame Booth (Calgary Hitmen), Ryan Armstrong (Ottawa Knights), and Mike Brunetta (North Bay Warriors). All seven GMs walk out together and take turns speaking into the mic.
—–
Calder Trophy
For best rookie
Nominees – Matt Duchene (Detroit Gladiators), Tuuka Rask (Toronto Red Devils), Jimmy Howard (Chicago Wolves), Tyler Myers (London Mustangs), John Tavares (Winnipeg Wheat Kings)
And the winner is… Tuuka Rask (Toronto Red Devils)
Tuuka Rask posted 22 wins, 5 shutouts, 1.97 GAA, and a .931 SV% in his first full season of pro hockey. Rask calls this “such a great honor,” thanking his coach/GM Jordan Carbone, and his friends and family.
—–
8:30 PM: Hall of famer Steve Yzerman appears on the stage to present the Lady Byng Award.
—–
Lady Byng Award
For best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct
Nominees – Charles Leung (Edmonton Hellstars), Garry Megibben (Lexington Leg Hounds), Blake Wilson (London Mustangs), Earl McNeill (Oshawa City Leafs), Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins)
And the winner is… Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins)
Sunderland was not invited to the Awards Show because he chose to follow in the footsteps of his knucklehead friend, Don Vincent of the Outlaws. Flava Flavv accepts the award on his behalf.
—-
8:43 PM: After Jeremy Piven rips on Alexander Ovechkin’s broken english, hall of fame goaltender Patrick Roy appears on the stage to present the next award.
—-
Vezina Trophy
For best goaltender
Nominees – Martin Brodeur (Hollywood Stars), Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes), Evgeni Nabokov (Oshawa City Leafs), Tuuka Rask (Toronto Red Devils)
And the winner is… Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes)
Miller posted 41 wins, 5 shutouts, 2.22 GAA, and a .927 SV% in the regular season. He also helped bring the Vancouver Heroes to the AFHL Stanley Cup Finals. Miller thanks the AFHL, saying he is “humbled” and dedicates the award to his teammates, close friends, and family.
—–
9:00 PM: Will Farrell appears on stage wearing full hockey equipment (including the skates) and he presents the next award.
Hart Trophy (Regular Season MVP)
For the player judged most valuable to his team in the regular season
Nominees – Alexander Ovechkin (Oshawa City Leafs), Sidney Crosby (Buffalo Phantoms), Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes), Martin Brodeur (Hollywood Stars)
And the winner is… Ryan Miller (Vancouver Heroes)
This is Miller’s second award of the night. His stats during the regular season were the best among all goalies (41 Ws, 5 SOs, 2.22 GAA, .927 SV%). He helped the Heroes win the Canadian Conference at the top of the standings at season’s end. Miller dedicates the award to “everybody who works on a dream everyday.” He also thanks all of his teammates, GM/coach Ben Rauscher, everyone who believed in him, and his parents.
—-
9:15 PM: Hall of fame coach Scotty Bowman is introduced to present the biggest award of the night, Best GM.
—-
Jack Adams Award
For Coach/GM of the Year
Nominees – Blake Wilson (London Mustangs), Daryn Beckman (Buffalo Phantoms), Don Vincent (Hamilton Outlaws), Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins), Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes)
And the winner is… we have a tie here…
The co-winners are… Blake Wilson (London Mustangs) and Ben Rauscher (Vancouver Heroes)
Both Rauscher and Wilson best exemplified the qualities of a successful fantasy hockey GM/coach. Besides winning, these GMs have been recognized and praised for their active participation, (ex: posting messages on board), winning, and having fun. Both GMs are excellent examples of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the AFHL. Both GMs also faced off against each other in the Finals.
After getting a standing ovation, Wilson and Rauscher take turns to thank everyone for their votes, as well as their family and friends for the support throughout the year.
—-
9:25 PM: AFHL Commissioner Anthony Furino appears on the stage to close the show.
“Folks, tonight I stand before you to tell you that the state of the AFHL is very strong. Yes, the A in AFHL stands for Amazing, for good reason. And during the next year it will strive to be even more amazing. Required of all GMs is PARTICIPATION and DEDICATION. With participation and dedication, we can pull together to make this THE BEST fantasy sports keeper league ever. God bless and I thank you.”
9:28 PM: Jeremy Piven thanks everyone for coming out tonight. He says “it was a great show” and “Furino has certainly set a strong tone for the upcoming year in the AFHL.”
9:29 PM: Audience applauds as music plays and screen fades to black.
**ALL Awards will be added to Team pages within the next week or two.
OTHER NOTABLE TROPHIES:
Trader Award
For the GM who made the most trades
Winner… Glenn Sunderland (Seattle Bruins)
Maurice Richard Trophy
For the top goal scorer in the regular season
Co-winners… Sidney Crosby (Buffalo Phantoms) and Steven Stamkos (Manhattan Supermen)
Crosby and Stamkos tied with 51 goals
President’s Trophy
For the teams with the best record at the end of the regular season
Winner… Buffalo Phantoms
The Phantoms record at the end of the regular season was 158-64-30
Art Ross Trophy
For the player who leads the League in scoring points at the end of the regular season
Winner… Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Heroes)
Sedin scored 29 goals and 83 assists for 112 points
All-Star Game Winning Coaches/GMs
For the winning GMs of the AFHL All-Star Game
Winners… Daryn Beckman (Buffalo Phantoms) and Mike Bassett (Hollywood Stars)
Beckman and Bassett teamed up to select the best players in the American Conference and went on to lead the American Conference to a dramatic 7-5 victory over the Canadian Conference.
Conn Smythe Trophy
For the MVP of the Playoffs
Winner… Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Heroes)
Stanley Cup Trophy
For the winner of the AFHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
Winner… London Mustangs
The Mustangs defeated the Heroes by a final score of 7-4 to win the first ever AFHL Stanley Cup.
