Pro Hockey Writers Association awards

No, I'm not on the PHWA awards list, but I'm good friends with a guy who should feel a little vindication for being recognized after being taken off the beat by an idiot editor ...


Steve Simmons (Toronto Sun), Adam Proteau (Hockey News), Tim Graham (Buffalo News), Scott Burnside (ESPN.com) and Luke DeCock (Raleigh News and Observer) won the top honors in the 2nd Professional Hockey Writers Association Writing Awards.
The PHWA-sponsored contest is held annually as a means to honor the top hockey writing of the previous season.
Graham won first place in the news category for his story on a Buffalo player’s use of the steroid-like supplement androstenedione. Simmons earned the best interpretation/analysis/enterprise award for a piece on the Dave Frost/Mike Danton saga. DeCock won top game story with his work on a Carolina Hurricanes’ game and Proteau won top column with his editorial on NHL Players Association leadership. Burnside won for a personality profile of former NHL coach Jacques Demers.
Burnside also picked up a second place in the analysis category and Graham was third in the same category.
The stories were written in the 2005-06 season, and were judged by an independent panel with extensive background in hockey writing.
Here are this year’s honorees:

GAME STORIES AND SIDEBARS
1. Luke DeCock, Raleigh News and Observer
2. John Vogl, Buffalo News
3. Iain McIntyre, Vancouver Sun

INTERPRETATION/ANALYSIS/ENTERPRISE
1. Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun
2. Scott Burnside, ESPN.com
3. Tim Graham, Buffalo News

PERSONALITY FEATURES
1. Scott Burnside, ESPN. com
2. Ken Warren, Ottawa Citizen
3. Mick Colangeo, New Bedford (Mass.) Standard-Time

NEWS
1. Tim Graham, Buffalo News
2. Bob Duff, Windsor Star
3. John Manasso, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

COLUMNS
1. Adam Proteau, Hockey News
2. Terry Frei, Denver Post
3. Ned Barnett, Raleigh News and Observer

 

Congratulations to all of these writers and the good work that comes from covering my favorite sport.

 

If you're talking about Manasso, he's bar none the worst big-city daily beat writer I've ever read in my entire life. Craig Custance blew him out of the water during his final few months of the season on the beat.

 

You've obviously never read Steve Gorten ... Craig is being wasted on that beat in that town. No disagreement from me that he's talented. But the way they did away with Manasso after Curtwright retired was ridiculous.

 

You're right, Gorten is pretty terrible, too.

Craig is definitely too good for that beat, and I don't expect he'll be on it very long. He's an f-in' stud, as Mizzou would say.

 

Steve Simmons deserves props because he is an excellent hockey journalist and I always read his work.

 

I can take or leave Simmons a lot of the time (although I love his Sunday column) but his work on Frost/Danton was outstanding.

 

Obviously, you've never read the stylings of the legend that is the Detroit News' Ted Kulfan...

Makes Spad seem like Ron Parker.

 

Love the Hockey News, glad to see Proteau's work honored.

 

Awesome.

 

Love Scott Burnside's work. Chock full of information and it goes down like butter.

 

I can mostly leave him, but I couldn't agree more his work on Frost, Danton was excellent.