Since 1965, the Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded to the individual determined to be the Most Valuable Player of the postseason. The inaugural winner was Montreal's Jean Beliveau after his 16 points helped lead the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup. Since then, 46 more players have been bestowed the honor.
Voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, there have been plenty of tight races, though vote totals have only recently been publicized. Back when the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, the honor was given to rookie netminder Cam Ward, marking the 14th time a goalie had won the Conn Smythe and the third time in five seasons.
While Ward took home the hardware, there were a few other names that probably had a claim to the award, both on his team and otherwise. As we continue our celebration of the 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes, I want to take a look at who else might've been in consideration, while also outlining why the voters made the correct choice.
The non-Cup finalists who deserve a shout-out
The Conn Smythe has never been awarded to a player that didn't participate in the Stanley Cup Final. However, these players from the teams that fell short in the conference finals need to be recognized, too.
Daniel Briere & Chris Drury (Buffalo): Drury finished tied for third in goals (9) and power-play goals (5). Briere's 19 points tied for the fourth-most in the league. They were first and second on the Sabres in goals and points during the Eastern Conference Finals, with Briere extending the series on his Game 6 overtime winner.
Ilya Bryzgalov (Anaheim): The only goalie who arguably had a better postseason than Cam Ward was Bryzgalov. While only playing 11 of Anaheim's 16 games, he led the league in save percentage (.944), GAA (1.46), and shutouts (3). He was nearly flawless in the conference semifinals, allowing four goals in the Mighty Ducks' sweep of the Colorado Avalanche.
5. Chris Pronger
Entering the 2006 playoffs, a player from the losing team had won the Conn Smythe Trophy five times, last happening in 2003. It's six now that Connor McDavid accomplished the feat two postseasons ago. For the Oilers during the playoffs, Chris Pronger was an absolute beast, and that goes beyond his 16 assists and 21 points, both of which were the third-most during the playoffs.
Pronger averaged 30:59 on the ice per game, with overtimes helping the total a little, but averaging over half of a 60-minute game is crazy. Only Detroit's Niklas Lidstrom averaged more time, and he only played in six games since the Oilers knocked off the Red Wings in the conference quarterfinals. His 11 points on the power play were tied for second in the league.
Not only was he consistently finding the scoresheet in each of his four series, Pronger made history during the Stanley Cup Final. In Game 1 of the series, Pronger became the first player in Cup Finals history to score penalty shot goal, snapping one past Cam Ward. It was a great postseason for Edmonton's offseason addition, who would reach the top of the mountain with Anaheim in 2007.
4. Cory Stillman
Only one player scored more points than Cory Stillman during the 2006 playoffs, and we'll talk about him in a little bit. Joining the Hurricanes after winning a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning before the lockout in 2004, Stillman was more than equipped to play a major part in the Canes' run to the Stanley Cup.
His counting stats are all fantastic. Stillman was tied for second on the team and tied for third in the league with nine goals, while sitting second in both assists (17) and points (26). However, it was his timeliness that was more impressive. Stillman was one of two players that postseason with multiple overtime goals. He joined teammate Niclas Wallin as the second player in franchise history to do so.
Stillman scored two series-clinching goals, ending the Montreal and New Jersey series. He recorded a point in all seven games in the conference finals, going on a 13-game point streak from Game 5 against the Devils through Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The only big argument against him is that his impressive numbers are overshadowed by two others on the team.
3. Fernando Pisani
While Chris Pronger might have a strong argument, the Oilers' postseason MVP might've been Fernando Pisani. The 2005-06 season was the peak of Pisani's NHL career, with a postseason run that would make any of the NCAA's March Madness Cinderella runs jealous. After a career-best 18-19-37 stat line during the regular season, Pisani was nearly unstoppable in the playoffs.
Pisani was the postseason's Rocket Richard winner, if such a distinction existed. His 14 goals were two more than anyone else in the league, while his 18 points were third on the Oilers and tied for sixth overall. Not only was he the leading goal scorer. Pisani was the most efficient shooter in the playoffs, posting a league-best 28.6 shooting percentage.
No moment was too big for Pisani. He led all players with five game-winning goals, including a short-handed goal in overtime against the Hurricanes in Game 5 to send the series back to Edmonton with the Stanley Cup in the building. While that goal was on special teams, most of his success was at 5-on-5, scoring ten times at even strength to pace the league.
2. Eric Staal
It only makes sense that the team's leading scorer during the regular season replicated this feat during the playoffs. After scoring 100 points in 82 games, becoming the first, and still only, Hurricane to reach the century mark, Eric Staal led all skaters with 28 points behind a league-best 19 assists. During this run, Staal made a ton of franchise history.
Along with setting top marks for assists and points in a single postseason for the Hurricanes, Staal set the longest point streak at 15 games. It began with a franchise-best four-assist game in Game 2 against Montreal and rolled through Game 5 against Buffalo. He's one of two players with four points in a playoff game, joined by Ray Whitney in 2009, and the only with four assists in a game.
Like with Stillman, Staal's postseason run is full of incredible moments. He gave the Hurricanes life with his overtime winner in Game 3 against Montreal. He tied Game 2 against New Jersey with three seconds left. Staal also provided the primary assist on Justin Williams' empty-net goal to seal the Stanley Cup victory in Game 7.
1. Rod Brind'Amour
If Eric Staal was the leading scorer of the postseason, then why isn't he #1 on this list? Rod Brind'Amour's 2006 postseason run is one that goes beyond the numbers. If we're talking about the Most Valuable Skater on the Hurricanes during this run, the team's captain is alone at the top of the list, and, frankly, it isn't close.
To his credit, Brind'Amour's numbers were very good, too. He was second to Pisani in goals with 12. His four game-winning goals were also second to Pisani. Brind'Amour scored six times on the power play, second to Staal. He tied Pisani and three others with 18 points. On this alone, he has a decent argument, though not as strong as Staal.
What sets him apart is that when the team needed a big moment, their captain delivered. His goal in Game 3 against Montreal allowed Staal to win the game in overtime. Brind'Amour scored the series-clinching goal against Buffalo. He kickstarted the comeback in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. He epitomized what it means to be a captain, putting the team on his back when they needed him to.
The voters got it right by naming Cam Ward as the playoff MVP
As convincing an argument as both Staal and Brind'Amour might have, Cam Ward was the rightful winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. At just 21 years old, he became the third player 21 or younger to win the award, joining Bobby Orr (21, 1970) and Patrick Roy (20, 1986), and later joined by Jonathan Toews (21, 2010).
Ward's entry into the Montreal series in Game 2 was a major turning point for the team, and his performance in Game 3 allowed them to turn the ship around. He matched the postseason rookie record for wins with 15, which was eventually broken by Jordan Binnington in 2019. He made a few truly iconic saves throughout his run, including his Game 7 robbery of Fernando Pisani up 2-1.
Throughout their run, Ward faced a few incredible goalies. He outdueled fellow rookies Cristobal Huet and Ryan Miller to reach the Stanley Cup Final, but the most surreal moment was besting his childhood idol Martin Brodeur in the conference semifinals. He would do the same in 2009 when the Canes eliminated the Devils in the opening round.
The best argument in Ward's favor comes from Brind'Amour himself. When asked about Ward's performance during the playoffs, the captain said, bluntly, "We had the best goalie in the Playoffs." He gives full credit to the rookie netminder for the team's ability to hoist the Stanley Cup. If that's not a glowing endorsement for the Conn Smythe winner, I don't know what is.