Derek Ryan wins 2020-21 Peter Maher Award

We’re at the end of the Calgary Flames season and so it’s time for some team awards to be announced. Veteran centre Derek Ryan has been named this season’s recipient of the Peter Maher Good Guy Award.

Selected by local media, the honour is awarded to the Flames player that best demonstrates the virtues of Peter Maher: sincerity, integrity, dedication and respect. (Disclosure: I have a vote.) 11 different players received votes during the balloting.

The previous winners of the award are Mikael Backlund (2019-20), Travis Hamonic (2018-19), Matt Stajan (2017-18), Chad Johnson (2016-17) and Joe Colborne (2013-14 through 2015-16).

Signed by the Flames as a free agent three seasons ago, the cerebral Ryan is a savvy two-way player. From a media perspective, he’s perpetually polite and well-spoken, and is among the best on the club at describing systems and how they break down (or hold up) during games.

He’s a very deserving winner of the award.