2005-06 OTG Awards
On the eve of the start of the 2006-07 prospect camp, and the rest of the 2006-07 season, we take a moment to look back at the best and the worst of last season, as voted by you, the readers of Outside the Garden. There are probably not a lot of surprises in this year’s votes, and certainly the team’s failure in their first playoff appearance since 1996-97 may have affected some of the voting for the worst of last season, but without further delay we present to you the 2005-06 OTG Awards.
Most Valuable Player: Jaromir Jagr
It’s hard to argue with selecting a guy who broke so many Rangers offensive records last season being the team MVP. Only Alexander Ovechkin featured in more offense for his team than Jagr, who set Ranger records for goals in a season (54), points in a season (123), power play goals (24) and shots on goal (368). He also tied the franchise record with 9 game winners.
While not named captain of the team, it was quickly apparent that he was the leader, and that the Rangers were doing everything possible to keep their star forward happy…bringing in a host of his country men to support him in his quest to bring the Rangers back to the playoffs. Jagr was not a factor in the playoffs however, as the team failed to stop New Jersey on the power play and ultimately saw their leader injure himself late in the game as he killed off yet another penalty.