Porter honored as hockey’s best

DENVER – Seniors Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik, all smiles for the media, posed together with the trophy.

It wasn’t the trophy they wanted most – a 5-4 overtime loss to Notre Dame the day before had killed the Wolverines’ National Championship hopes.

But after captain Kevin Porter won the Hobey Baker Award on Friday, setting him apart as the best player in college hockey, he made sure his linemate and best friend shared the spotlight.

“For the past six years, he’s been my best friend,” Porter said. “Without him, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

The senior is just the second Wolverine to win the honor. Brendan Morrison was the first, in 1997, also winning it the day after Michigan was knocked out of the Frozen Four.

Porter was long considered to be the favorite for the award.

“We were all nervous, but everyone in that building knew that Kevin Porter deserved to win the Hobey Baker,” freshman forward Max Pacioretty said.

The award criteria include outstanding character on and off the ice, game skills, sportsmanship and academic accomplishments. Porter finished the season with 33 goals and 30 assists, including 15 power-play goals. He was named the CCHA Player of the Year and was the top scorer in the league.

The half-hour award ceremony featured highlight videos and interviews with each finalist. The other two finalists for the award were Boston College junior Nathan Gerbe and Miami (Ohio) senior Ryan Jones.

Gerbe scored three goals in the Eagles’ 6-1 NCAA semifinal win against North Dakota and two goals against Notre Dame in the National Championship game, giving him a nation-best 35 goals for the season. Jones finished with 31 goals, third highest in the nation.

Less than 24 hours after their season ended, the Wolverines sat in the last row of the Pepsi Center’s lower bowl during the ceremony. When Porter’s name was announced as the winner, they jumped to their feet and gave him a standing ovation.

Porter predictably said that winning the award was nice but it didn’t ease the sting of losing the day before, a sentiment shared by his teammates.

“Obviously, we’re going to be happy right now,” Pacioretty said Friday. “But when we watch that game tomorrow, we’ll know that we should be there.”

Porter spent Friday away from his teammates, attending a dress rehearsal, preparing an acceptance speech and napping before the ceremony.

“I only saw him at breakfast this morning at 10:30, and he was a little rattled,” Kolarik said. “He didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to act. I don’t think he had his speech written.

“He wasn’t clean-shaven yet. I just told him he should shave, so he did that and he looked pretty good.”

But during Porter’s speech, in which he thanked his teammates, coaches and family members, the ending was not what he – or anyone else – expected.

“Thank you and good luck to Boston College and North Dakota in tomorrow night’s game,” he said.

There was a moment of silence before the crowd reacted in surprise.

Porter realized his mistake.

“Notre Dame,” he said quickly.

“At the end I had, ‘Thank you and good luck to BC and ND,’ and I think when I read over it, it just kind of clicked: North Dakota,” Porter said. “That was pretty embarrassing.”

Porter joked that he was wishing he wouldn’t win the award so he wouldn’t have to write a speech and later insisted he shouldn’t be put in the same talent category as Morrison and other past Hobey Baker winners. The two words most frequently used to describe Porter during the awards ceremony were “humility” and “consistency,” traits that have been synonymous with his leadership all season.

Porter made the choice to come back to Michigan for his senior year instead of signing with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes after last season, a choice he called “not a hard decision” after winning the award.

“He came back on a mission,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said. “I’ve never seen a player take the whole team in his grasp, put them on his back and make it happen.”

“I only saw him at breakfast this morning at 10:30, and he was a little rattled,” Kolarik said. “He didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to act. I don’t think he had his speech written.

“He wasn’t clean-shaven yet. I just told him he should shave, so he did that and he looked pretty good.”

But during Porter’s speech, in which he thanked his teammates, coaches and family members, the ending was not what he – or anyone else – expected.

“Thank you and good luck to Boston College and North Dakota in tomorrow night’s game,” he said.

There was a moment of silence before the crowd reacted in surprise.

Porter realized his mistake.

“Notre Dame,” he said quickly.

“At the end I had, ‘Thank you and good luck to BC and ND,’ and I think when I read over it, it just kind of clicked: North Dakota,” Porter said. “That was pretty embarrassing.”

Porter joked that he was wishing he wouldn’t win the award so he wouldn’t have to write a speech and later insisted he shouldn’t be put in the same talent category as Morrison and other past Hobey Baker winners. The two words most frequently used to describe Porter during the awards ceremony were “humility” and “consistency,” traits that have been synonymous with his leadership all season.

Porter made the choice to come back to Michigan for his senior year instead of signing with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes after last season, a choice he called “not a hard decision” after winning the award.

“He came back on a mission,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said. “I’ve never seen a player take the whole team in his grasp, put them on his back and make it happen.”