Wow, Adam Fox wins the Norris Trophy

The James Norris Memorial  Trophy was handed out and New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox took home the award, beating out former winner Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.  Ranger fans can proudly proclaim that the Blueshirts have the best defenseman in the NHL.

Fox got a lot of attention during the season when he had a 12 game point scoring streak during  a spectacular 33 game stretch when he scored four goals and had 36 assists for 40 points.

During that streak he tied a franchise record by notching five assists in one game against the Philadelphia Flyers.  It wasn’t just offense that made Fox noticeable.  He played heavy minutes against the oppositions’ top lines and he usually led the team in ice time.

He finished the season with five goals and 42 assists for 47 points. He led all defensemen in assists and was sixth overall  in the NHL.  He finished one point behind Edmonton’s Tyson Barrie for the league lead in points by a blueliner.

What makes this award even more special is it is the first time the Norris Trophy has been won by a player on a team that didn’t make the postseason and it was only the second time the Trophy has gone to a second year player, the first being Bobby Orr in 1968.  Last year, Roman Josi won for a Nashville team that made it to the Stanley Cup Qualifier, but didn’t make the Playoffs.

Fox got an additional honor when the NHL announced that he was First Team All-Star along with Cale Makar on the blueline.   He is joined by Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal and forwards Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner and Brad Marchand.   Artemi Panarin was a First Team All-Star last season.

Adam Fox is the fourth New York Ranger to win the award since it debuted in 1954.  Doug Harvey won the award in 1962,  Harry Howell in 1967 and Brian Leetch won in 1992 and 1997.  The Norris Trophy is one of the “big ones” given out for regular season performance along with the Hart, Calder, Lindsay and Vezina and this is the first time a Ranger won one since Henrik Lundqvist took home the Vezina Trophy in 2012.

Fox is also only the third U.S. born player to win the award following Leetch and Chris Chelios.  Appropriately, the award was presented to Fox via Zoom by Brian Leetch.

His teammates were quick to weigh in on Twitter after he won the award.  You have to love what Igor Shesterkin had to say.

Traded from Carolina for two second round draft picks, this deal will go down as one of the best in franchise history.  Ranger fans should thank the hockey gods that Fox grew up on Long Island as a Rangers fan and made it clear that he wanted to play only for the Blueshirts.   Maybe we should all thank his parents for making sure that he was a Rangers fan like his entire family.

The James Norris Memorial Trophy is given  “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”    There’s not denying that that is the definition of Adam Fox’s game.  Congratulations to Adam Fox, well deserving of this honor.