Coyotes netminder Smith wins Team MVP Award
Apr 1, 2012, 1:15 AM | Updated: 2:17 am
The Phoenix Coyotes announced their 2011-2012 award recipients prior to
the team’s game against Anaheim Saturday at Jobing.com Arena.
Netminder Mike Smith, who’s having a spectacular season, won the Fry’s Food
Stores Team MVP Award. Smith has posted a 34-18-10 record with a
sparkling 2.33 goals against average and a .926 save percentage for the
Coyotes this season.
Smith entered Saturday’s game against the Ducks tied for fourth in the NHL in
wins with 34, 12th in the league in goals against average and seventh in save
percentage. He has also set personal bests in wins (34), shutouts (6), and save
percentage (.926).
The 30-year-old goaltender also captured the Ganem Jewelers Three-Star
Award for being selected as the star of the game 31 times this year.
The Coyotes also honored captain Shane Doan with the Jukka Nieminen
Memorial Trophy for the team’s hardest working player. Forward Ray Whitney
won the Desert Schools leading scorer Award. Whitney has 23 goals this year
and currently leads the Coyotes in points with 73. Back-up goaltender Jason
LaBarbera won the Gila River Casinos Man of the Year Award for his tireless
work in the community.
