Lindros Hart Favorite

When it comes to picking the winners of major awards, a blink here or there could be tolerated. But we must pick with one eye closed - in this case, the eye that faces west - because this lockoutshortened, neutral-zone trapped season contained no interconference play.

Nevertheless, awards are made to be given out and argued about, so here is one set of picks (mercifully unofficial) for the NHL awards:

Hart (MVP): Eric Lindros of the Flyers had the breakthrough season we were all waiting for, leading in scoring and pushing his team to the top of its division. Rare is the teen-age phenom who comes to live up to his promise, and Lindros, 22, has.

Norris (top defenseman): This is a different story. Paul Coffey of the Red Wings.

Calder (top rookie): Though he slipped in the closing weeks of the season, we’re going with Capitals goalie Jim Carey, 20. Washington was 3-10-5 and lifeless when Carey came up from the AHL.

Vezina (top goalie): Like Carey, Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek slipped a bit down the stretch. But like Carey, Hasek simply carries his team’s hopes to an extent few goalies must.

Selke (best defensive forward): Sergei Fedorov of the Red Wings. The Wings have the best record without a scorer in the top five, so they must be doing the little things right.

Adams (top coach): Marc Crawford of Quebec, who took the best young talent in the league and helped it mature into one of the best teams.

Powerful presence

From April 12-26, an eight-game stretch in which the Rangers won six to get back into the playoff picture, Mark Messier scored 19 points and was on the ice for 22 of the Rangers’ 34 goals.

Maneuvering in Winnipeg

The local group trying to buy the Jets and keep them in Winnipeg has failed in its bid to take over the debt-ridden franchise.

Minneapolis is most likely to land the Jets if they move. A group from the U.S. city already has made an offer.