From: maynard@ramsey.cs.laurentian.ca (Roger Maynard)
Subject: Re: More Hart trophy stuff....
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON
Lines: 31

In <1993Apr26.162805.1534@adobe.com> snichols@adobe.com (Sherri Nichols) writes:

>In article <1993Apr24.010132.3405@mtroyal.ab.ca> caldwell8102@mtroyal.ab.ca writes:
>>The Hart trophy goes to the player most valuable to his team, not to the best
>>player in the league. So your above arguement is really worthless. 

>Personally, I always thought that "most valuable to his team" was silly.
>Why should the best player in the league be penalized because he plays on a
>team with other good players?  Why should a lesser player be picked solely
>because he's the best player on a weak team?   Wouldn't the weaker team be
>helped even more by the best player in the league?  Doesn't the presence of
>the best player in the league make the other players on the team look
>better, too?

The Hart Trophy was orginally awarded in a time where people did not think
in terms of who was the "best" player, rather in terms of who was the most
valuable to the team.  And "valuable to his team" was not, and should not
be, considered synonymous with "best".  We are talking about a time when
honour and attitude, not measurable skills, were the most important assets
a player brought to his team, his league and his sport.  This was before
the onslaught of professionalism which has clearly denigrated what was 
formerly the foremost peacetime pursuit of glory.

The Hart Trophy is not a prize.  It is an honour.


-- 

cordially, as always,                      maynard@ramsey.cs.laurentian.ca 
                                           "So many morons...
rm                                                 ...and so little time." 
