We're at the three-quarter mark of Season 4, and in addition to jockeying for playoff position (currently the Victorias, Bulldogs, and Thistles are in, and the Comets and Millionaires are out), the players are vying for the various end-of-season MVP trophies. Aside from Cyclone Taylor cruising toward his third Defenseman MVP in four seasons, the other awards are all up in the air.
The most exciting race is for Forward MVP, and it's quite a contrast from Season 3. Last time around, Frank McGee won his second consecutive Forward MVP trophy because...well...no one really stood out. It was, on the whole, a ho-hum year for forwards. This year it's a whole different story. I could make a strong case (at least as strong as last year's case for McGee) for Bruce Stuart (C, Bulldogs), Tommy Phillips (LW, Thistles), Jimmy Gardner (LW, Millionaires), and even McGee (C, Comets) again.
However, it's really coming down to two phenomenal players: Gord Roberts (LW, Bulldogs) and Alf Smith (RW, Thistles). Roberts, the Forward MVP from Season 1, is having his finest campaign (12 GP, 11 G, 10 A, 21 PTS, +5), and currently leads the league in points. Sitting one point behind him is Smith (13 GP, 14 G, 6 A, 20 PTS, +0). Roberts has been the better all-around player (the plus/minus difference is hard to ignore), but Smith has an eye-popping 14 goals in 13 games. He's on pace to match or beat McGee's single-season record of 18 goals back in Season 2. (Side-note: McGee managed this prodigious feat in a mere 12 games, whereas today the seasons are 16 games long.) I think Roberts has the edge for now, but if Smith does, in fact, break the record, it would be hard to deny him the award, especially if all the other numbers are close. After all, a forward's job is to score goals!
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