Hockey dogs among NHL Fan Choice Awards Nominees

The 2019 NHL Fan Choice Awards feature some very good hockey dogs among the nominees.

The National Hockey League is remarkably dog-friendly for a professional sports league, with about a third of its teams having a team dog in some capacity, either as a guide dog in training, or for promotional and morale purposes. So it’s no surprise that doggos make up some of the nominees for the 2019 NHL Fan Choice Awards, either.

Two of the categories are “Best Dog” (for the best dog of a player) and “Best Team Dog” (for best dog officially connected with a team). If “Best Team Dog” was a category it would almost certainly be claimed by a member of either the Vegas Golden Knights or Washington Capitals fandoms. That really deserves its own category next year.

Hockey and puppers are made for each other, which is why the Caps Canines Puppy Playoffs were such a hit, and why our friends at Puck Prose had a blast thinking up an all-canine roster (we helped).

The first nominee for Best Dog goes to this Twitter post of San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic going for an offseason training bike ride with his two Golden Retrievers (one of whom is named Macy) being pulled in the trailer and their smaller sibling riding in the basket. Vlasic’s Instagram is totally devoted to his doggos.

Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Artemi Panarin’s smol fluffer helped him work on those pesky rebounds ahead of their playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It worked, as the Blue Jackets won that first round series.

These Doodles, Simba and Lola, dressed up as Minions for Halloween. They belong to Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin.

Ralph the Shiba Inu left a nice birthday message on his dad’s birthday. His dad is Chicago Blackhawks right wing Alex DeBrincat.

The first nominee for the Best Team Dog is the first one, Ranger the yellow Labrador, who is learning how to be a guide dog with the New York Rangers. His Twitter/Instagram handle is @NYRangersPup

The next nominee is the St Louis Blues guide dog in training, Barclay the Labrador. He seems to be the Internet’s favorite of the team dogs. He doesn’t have Twitter, but his Instagram account is @STLBluesPup

Next comes the second team dog, Radar the Labrador of the New York Islanders. He doesn’t have his own social media accounts, but can be followed with the hashtag #NYIPupWithAPurpose.

The final nominee in this category is Rookie the black Labrador of the Ottawa Senators, who was the last official team guide dog in training that we’re aware of to be introduced this season. He was named via a fan vote.

The full alphabetical listing of the awards categories is as follows: Best Beard, Best Bromance, Best Celly, Best Dog, Best Dressed, Best Fan Video, Best Feel Good Moment, Best Follow, Best Goalie Mask, Best Halloween Costume, Best Handshake, Best Hockey Smile, Best #HockeyTwitter Moment, Best Mascot, Best Team Dog, GIF of the Year, Goal of the Year, Save of the Year, Top Hidden Talent, Top Team Video.

Voting for the 2019 NHL Fan Choice Awards runs until Saturday, June 15, and fans can vote online either on the NHL website or through Twitter with the hashtag #NHLFanChoice.

The winners will probably be announced near or during the 2019 NHL Awards, which will be held Wednesday, June 19 in Las Vegas. It’s also likely that at least some of the members of the Vegas hockey dog community will be in attendance.