The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is an award with few defenders today. Requests for it to be renamed are as much a part of the annual hockey season as training camp stories about Player X being in the best shape of his life. Complaints about the way it is awarded are virtually inescapable. Some act as though it’s a second-class trophy when compared to the main prizes of the NHL Awards.
That’s all too bad, because when it comes right down to it the Lady Byng symbolizes much of what is great about the sport.
Let’s start with the name.