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What the Swiss always knew is now official: Roman Josi is the best defender in the world. After the vice world championship titles in 2013 and 2018, the next sporting historical moment for our ice hockey.
With the Norris trophy Josi’s standard is now set in stone as the best in his field among the NHL’s annual personal badges. The choice is based solely on the regular season, the playoffs are meaningless. The members of the Association of Professional Sports Journalists decide, make the preselection and determine the winner. “The Norris Trophy will be awarded annually to the defender who has best mastered all facets of her position,” read the instructions for use.
This formulation occasionally leads to heated arguments. Purists complain that warriors who specialize in defensive work have no chance of winning this award. They don’t have to be at all costs (read the instructions for use again, please). The first Norris Trophy winner in 1954 was Leonard “Red” Kelly, one of the ancestors of all offensive defenders. Kelly also received the “Lady Byng” trophy four times, and it is awarded to the player who is characterized by “high sporting standards and exemplary behavior.”
That the winners What connects this award is the ability to design the game from the defense area. How this is expressed in detail depends largely on the formative style of play of an era, but exceptional game intelligence is always a basic requirement. Bobby Orr (winner of eight Norris trophies from 1968 to 1975) dominated the game with superior field work, Nicklas Lidström (7) knew how to combine unspectacular offensive qualities with brilliant defensive work. Lidström is widely known as the most comprehensive defender in history.
Confidence in style On defense, the winners of the Norris Trophy are virtually implicitly assumed – without this requirement, a defender will likely not even make it to the NHL, other than an individual award. The basis of Josi’s triumph this year are in part the usual indicators of goals (16), assists (49) and a balance of +22 in the match in case of a numerical tie.
His skills Taking the puck out of the defensive zone under pressure, turning the game around, linking the neutral zone sometimes with running work, sometimes with clever passing, and orchestrating entry into the opposing third of the attack can be supported by modern statistics. Or just watch it and enjoy what you see.
What he for us By the way, what makes it so popular is the ability to radiate a natural and obvious self-confidence without a trace of arrogance.
