In a press release, the New York Rangers announced their team awards for the 2019-20 season. The three awards handed out are the team MVP, the Players’ Player award, and the John Halligan Good Guy Award
Artemi Panarin named MVP of the New York Rangers
Panarin has won the award for the first time since joining the Rangers. He is the first player who has won the award in his first season with the Rangers since Mark Messier in 1991-92. Panarin is also a finalist for the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award.
According to the Rangers, The Most Valuable Player Award was voted on by members of the New York Rangers media and has been given annually since the conclusion of the 1941-42 season.
While Mika Zibanejad did receive some first-place votes, Panarin’s season was truly one worthy of being the MVP.
Panarin ranked second in the NHL (and led NHL forwards) in plus/minus rating, tied for second in the NHL in assists, tied for third in the NHL in points, tied for 13th in the NHL in goals, and ranked 16th in the NHL in takeaways (56) in 2019-20. He tallied a point in 54 of the 69 games he played during the 2019-20 season (including 28 multi-point games), and he also registered a point in 34 of the Rangers’ 37 wins during the season.
With 95 points this season. this ranked Panarin 12th-most in one season by a Ranger in franchise history, and his 63 assists were tied for the 12th-most by a Ranger in one season in franchise history. Panarin’s 63 assists were also the most by a left-winger in one season in franchise history.
Jesper Fast selected as the recipient of Players’ Player Award
This makes the fifth consecutive season that Fast has won this award.
The Players’ Player Award has been given annually since the conclusion of the 1958-59 season and recognizes the Ranger who, as selected by his teammates, “best exemplifies what it means to be a team player.â€
Fast skated in 69 games with the Rangers this season, registering 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points, along with a plus-16 rating and 20 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in plus/minus rating and average ice time (16:36) in 2019-20. Fast ranked 21st among NHL forwards (and led Rangers forwards) in shorthanded ice time (162:35) this season
Chris Kreider named winner of John Halligan Good Guy Award
The John Halligan Good Guy Award recognizes a player for their cooperation with the media throughout the season. The award has been presented annually since the 1974-75 season and was renamed in 2009-10 to honor the team’s late public relations director. The award recipient is chosen by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association who cover the Rangers throughout the season.
The 2019-20 season was Kreider’s second full season as one of the Rangers’ alternate captains; he was named an alternate captain at the start of the 2018-19 season and had worn an “A†for several games during the final month of the 2017-18 season.
Current Rangers who previously received the John Halligan Good Guy Award are Henrik Lundqvist (2007-08), Marc Staal (2013-14), and Mika Zibanejad (2018-19).