Awards Show Preview

July 23rd, 2011

After months and months of hard work, it’s time for the stars of the Amazing Fantasy Hockey League to kick back, relax and enjoy some time in Montreal.

The League’s second annual awards show will take place in Montreal and it’s promising to be a grand event. The show is expected to be aired on Versus on a day TBA rumored to be sometime within the next week or so.

Players, coaches/GMs, presenters and special guests will arrive on the red carpet at the Hotel Le St James prior to the start of the event and theafhl.com will provide live blogging coverage of the red carpet arrivals.

The North Bay Warriors could be big winners at this event. Coach/GM Mike Brunetta and goaltender Pekka Rinne (now a London Mustang) led the Warriors to a first place finish in the regular season. Rinne is up for the Hart trophy (league MVP) and Vezina trophy (best goaltender).  Brunetta is up for the Jack Adams trophy as the League’s best GM.

Brunetta and Rinne will have some competition with former Washington Power GM Ray Irwin and goaltenders Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas, as well as Pittsburgh Heroes‘ Daniel Sedin as finalists for the Hart, Vezina, and Jack Adams trophies.

Deer Park Chiefs GM Mike Nellany is in line to win the Trash Talker trophy for the second year in a row. The Toronto Red Devils franchise looks to win back-to-back rookie of the year trophies with Michael Grabner as a finalist for the Calder trophy.

Nicklas Lidstrom of the St. John’s Red Wings will go against Buffalo’s Lubomir Visnovsky and Comox Valley’s Dustin Byfuglien in the Red Wings’ quest for their second straight award of having the League’s best defenseman.

St. John’s GM Barry Hickey is competing against Oshawa City’s Earl McNeill and Montreal’s Keith Cancilla for the Lady Byng trophy, awarded to the GM who exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.

Surprise awards are also rumored to be given out. Multi-platinum recording artist Aerosmith and Grammy-winner Eminem and Lady Gaga will perform during the show, and Canadian band Nickelback will play a set at the AFHL Awards Party following the show. Actor and comedian Mike Meyers will be the host of the show.

Other past and present hockey stars scheduled to participate include Scott Niedermayer, Mark Recchi, Mike Bossy, Doug Gilmour, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier. Former AFHL coach and GM Ray Irwin, nominee for the Jack Adams trophy, also will be on hand.

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