Colorado Avalanche
MAKAR WINS NORRIS: Avalanche Defenseman Is Voted The Best

Cale Makar, Norris Trophy winner. Best all-around defenseman in the NHL. That is his official designation tonight, with the trophy as proof.
Makar actually got fewer first-place votes from the PHWA and fewer third-place votes. It was that second-place voter bloc that made the slim, winning difference. He won by very, very slim 25 points overall.
Makar was the deserving winner. Nothing against Roman Josi, but a huge number of his points this season were secondary assists (look it up). Makar actually tries to play solid defense too, while Josi is too slow to make a real difference on the back in his own zone. His paltry plus-minus number exhibits that only too clearly.
Cale Makar won this trophy deservedly, and I have no doubt he’ll win many more – health permitting.
when did it change from straight 1st place votes to aggregate?
Congrats Cale, well deserved. To be honest, I was expecting it to be Josi getting the trophy and the camera to show Cale staring at his phone as writers from around the league texting him to say they had made a big mistake.
Great news! Here’s hoping he will have a Conn Smythe trophy very soon to put next to it!
And the CUP! The trifecta!
I really thought Josi had cemented the Norris with that late points push, but overall I think Makar is just the far more outstanding defenseman! It’s also worth noting that Josi collected the majority of his points in March while in the other months Makar was the far more consistent scorer. You also can’t underestimate Makar‘s role in the Avs remarkable season, during which they didn’t win the President‘s Trophy because they didn’t want to!
Btw, why on earth would they have the award show in the middle of the Stanley Cup Finals?!
It is all about the schedule and trying to get back to a normal league year which starts on July 1st 2023. With the draft coming up potentially 8 days after the Cup final they felt there wasn’t enough time to schedule the usual big show in Vegas this year. I would expect that to change next season and back to the red carpet type of event they seem to like.
I think A LOT of Josi’s votes were from people who only look at the points and don’t really follow the league outside their market (which is somewhat understandable). Josi had an incredible season, but the most deserving guy definitely won.
I think there should be an award for most points by a defenceman. And the Norris should be for the best overall d-man.
I agree 100 percent with that
If they did give out the award for best D-man, ignoring points, Makar might not win the award on his own team………..Devon Toews would be my choice………what a tandem the Avs have.
Kudos to Cale. Guy is a gem. Here’s hoping the team trophy (the only hardware #8 cares about) is earned in the coming days by the “new” Norris winner.
Congrats Cale.
Is it just me or did Josi appear to be in a state of shock after the announcement?
I noticed the same thing. These guys are so highly competitive, that even in hockey team is first, he is doing one HOT burn.
Makar led the Avs to a superior record than Yosi did for Preds. Makar is eight years younger and impressive against a more experienced player. I hope Kale plays 15 years and shatters all kinds of records all as an Av.
Hail Kale!
i think the margin was even slimmer…25 points right?
Correct – math has never been ADs strong point 😁
Our boy continues to astound. Hopefully he and Mackinnon show up in game 4 and make some real noise.
It’s important to recognize how phenomenal Josi and Hedman are while reflecting on the truly rare talent that is Cale Makar. As an Avs fan, I’ve had the pleasure of watching so many amazing players over the years, but other than Forsberg, I’m not sure any one of them has been as jaw-dropping to watch on a nightly basis as Makar. Lets all enjoy this moment. Go Avs!!
this c walker still a center on colorod0a hockey one in only game 4 today
What in the world is this mess of a sentence?