Bob McKenzie was on Montreal’s TSN 690 on Wednesday morning.
On the conversation surrounding the age requirements of the Calder Trophy, which allow Artemi Panarin to be eligible to win:
“Well, I don’t have a problem – if the National Hockey League wants to have that discussion and say we want to make it so that it’s 21 or 23, or limit the number of years you can play in a league like the KHL or what have you – I don’t have any problem with that. If they want to tighten that up, that’s great.
“But here’s what I do know. The rules are the rules. If you’re eligible for the award, you can’t very well edit the rules to your liking. Well, you can. You can do whatever you want with your vote.
“But I voted, and for me it was a no-brainer. Artemi Panarin had more goals than any other rookie, and he had more points than any other rookie.
“There were a lot of people who said, ‘Well, he plays on a line with Patrick Kane.’ I watched enough Chicago Blackhawks games to know Patrick Kane had his career year in no small part because of the play of a guy by the name of Artemi Panarin, and that that was a two-way street. Artemi Panarin wasn’t just riding around on Patrick Kane’s coattails. There were some games when Patrick Kane was riding on Panarin’s coattails with some really great setups and plays. Some great finishes too, where Kane picked up assists. So I thought that was a two-way street.
“As for, ‘Well, he’s played in the KHL and he’s older than everybody else.’ Too bad. He’s a rookie.
“People would say to me on Twitter, ‘He’s not a rookie.’
“Well, he is.
‘No, he’s not. He played in the KHL for all of those years. He’s not a rookie.’
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, he is a rookie, because the NHL says he’s a rookie.’
“They changed this rule after Sergei Makarov won the award at 30, or whatever he was. 29, 30, 31, I can’t even remember. But that was the motivation to bring it down to, ‘Let’s make it entry-level. Anybody who’s on an entry-level contract.’ And that would be anybody who’s 25 or younger.
“So if the league wants to make it 23 or 22, do it. I don’t care. Whatever makes everybody happy, make that the rule. But when you’re going to vote, in good conscience I couldn’t scratch Artemi Panarin off my ballot because I think he’s too old or he’s got too much experience.”
Source: TSN 690/ Transcript: Nichols
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