Monday, June 26, 2023

Beniers, Montgomery take home hardware at NHL Awards

McCrimmon named co-winner of Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award

Beniers, Montgomery take home hardware at NHL Awards
Michigan alum Matty Beniers won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year (Photo: Michigan Photography).

NASHVILLE — A pair of former NCAA hockey standouts captured individual awards Monday at the NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena.

University of Michigan alum Matty Beniers received the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, while former University of Maine captain Jim Montgomery, now the head coach of the Boston Bruins, won the Jack Adams Award as the league’s coach of the year.

Beniers appeared in 80 games for the Kraken and led all NHL rookies in points (57), multi-point games (18) and plus/minus (+14). He also tied for the rookie lead with 24 goals. The No. 2 overall pick in 2021 behind then-Michigan teammate Owen Power, also a finalist for this year’s Calder Trophy, Beniers led the Big Ten in scoring and was a first-team All-American selection as a sophomore at Michigan.

Montgomery, in his first year behind the Boston bench, guided the Bruins to 65 wins and 135 points, setting NHL records in both categories. Montgomery starred at Maine from 1989-90 to 1992-93 and captained the Black Bears to a national title as a senior, when he was named NCAA Tournament MVP. After stints as an assistant coach with Notre Dame (2005-06) and Rensselaer (2006-10), Montgomery spent five seasons as head coach at Denver (2013-18) and led the Pioneers to a national championship in 2018.

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Additionally, former college hockey player Jason McCrimmon was named the United States recipient of the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. McCrimmon, who played NCAA Division III hockey at Northland College (2004-06), UMass Boston (2005-06) and Suffolk University (2006-08), was recognized for his efforts to make the sport of hockey more accessible in his hometown of Detroit. McCrimmon founded Detroit Ice Dreams, a nonprofit organization that exposes boys and girls from underrepresented communities to skating and hockey by making them accessible and more affordable.

For more information on tonight’s award recipients, visit NHL.com.