Pat Surtain congratulates Cale Makar on Norris Trophy win
Colorado sports have been a haven for team and individual awards in recent years: the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche both won championships (Avs in 2022, Nuggets in 2023) and there have been several individual awards making their home in Denver.
Two of the most recent individual award winners are the Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain, who won Defensive Player of the Year and now, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche winning his second James Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman. Makar found out he won the Norris on Wednesday, and Surtain sent a short video message to Makar.
"What's going on, Cale! I want to give a huge congratulations from one defensive player of the year to another," said Surtain. "Congrats on another big award, congrats man."
Makar won the Norris Trophy in the 2021 season, the Conn Smyth in 2021 (MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs) and the Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) in 2019. Let's hope Surtain can join Makar as a championship winner for the Broncos in the very near future!
Check out the video below.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Lakers may already have a better backup center than Jaxson Hayes
The Los Angeles Lakers look like a significantly better team right now than they did when they lost in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, at least on paper. They addressed their huge hole at the center position by signing seven-footer Deandre Ayton, a 26-year-old who has career averages of 16.4 points on 59% field-goal shooting and 10.5 rebounds a game. The Lakers also brought in guard Marcus Smart, the NBA's 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, as well as forward Jake LaRavia, an excellent 3-point shooter who seems to have some defensive potential. But many feel the Lakers aren't quite championship contenders right now. Fans point to the team's lack of options at the 5 behind Ayton as one thing they're unhappy about. However, L.A. may have a solid backup center on its roster already. Don't sleep on Maxi Kleber Kleber, a veteran big man, was widely considered to be nothing more than someone who was thrown into the Luka Doncic trade in February. At the time, he had just undergone surgery following a foot injury he suffered in late January, and prior to that, he had struggled mightily with his shooting, as he had made just 38.5% of his overall shot attempts and 26.5% of his attempts from 3-point range. But in previous seasons, Kleber was a dependable 3-point shooter and a serviceable defender. In six previous seasons prior to the 2024-25 campaign, he shot 36.2% from downtown and averaged 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 3.6 3-point attempts in 23.9 minutes a game. He isn't a rim protector, and he isn't a particularly good rebounder. But if he returns to form, he could be adequate for about 15 to 20 minutes a game, and certainly more adequate overall than Jaxson Hayes, L.A.'s current backup center. Hayes was forced to be the team's starting center this past season following the Doncic trade. While he can be a lob threat and occasionally protect the rim well, the rest of his game is very limited. Plus, at seven feet and 220 pounds, he lacks the strength to effectively box out or play solid positional defense. Kleber is 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, making him a sturdier option at the 5 for the Lakers. Plus, he spent several seasons playing alongside Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks, so the two have chemistry together. The question is whether Kleber, who is 33 years of age, will regain his old productivity following his foot injury. If he does, the Lakers may want to hang on to him for a little while rather than look to jettison him in a trade.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Former Sixers big man Dwight Howard ranked No. 63 on all-time list
For one season in his Hall of Fame career, Dwight Howard was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. The 8-time All-Star served as the backup to Joel Embiid in the 2020-21 season and helped the Sixers earn the No. 1 seed in the East before falling to the Atlanta Hawks in the East semifinals. In his one season in Philadelphia, Howard averaged 7.0 points and 8.4 rebounds and nearly a block a game coming off the bench. He fully embraced his role as the team's backup center and was a positive player in the locker room day in and day out. He wasn't the dominant superstar he once was in his heyday, but Howard was certainly capable of producing. HoopsHype put together a ranking of the top 79 players in the history of the game with Howard was ranked No. 63 on the list: At one time, Dwight Howard was the best big man in the NBA, an era that lasted for multiple seasons during his time with the Magic. Howard was an awe-inspiring athlete for his size, who would often sky for rebounds, block shots or finish alley-oops. Like Gasol, Howard was another glaring omission from the NBA75 list despite being a Top 11 rebounder ever, ranking 15th all-time in blocks and having three Defensive Player of the Year awards. But that might have to do with him not being that well-liked by coaches and teammates during his time in the league. Howard was also a huge playoff performer, coming up big both when he was a star with the Magic (he impressively led them to the Finals in 2008-09) and as a role player with the Lakers, finally winning a title in 2019-20. Howard's one season with the Sixers wasn't particularly memorable, but it's clear that his impact on the game's history has been recognized. He is one of the best centers in NBA history and he should receive the respect he deserves as such.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
Serge Ibaka believes Durant-Westbrook Thunder could've won at least 2 championships
Winning their first NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally captured the Larry O'Brien trophy after finishing excruciatingly close over nearly the last two decades. Finally, one of the most successful NBA franchises since 2008 has a trophy to show for it. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren accomplished what Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka couldn't. The former trio had one of the greatest seasons ever. After an up-and-down playoff trip, they were the last team standing to win a championship. A ring makes it easier to reminisce on the Thunder's first championship window. Even though Durant and Westbrook couldn't win a championship, they gave fans a decade's worth of competitive basketball highlighted by two MVP winners, four Western Conference Finals trips and an NBA Finals appearance. Still, there was a feeling of meat left on the bone. Two top-five players in their prime should've garnered at least one championship. Bad injury luck and inconsistent playoff performances stopped that from happening. Talking to TMZ Sports, Ibaka believes they could've won at least two championships if they stayed healthy and kept James Harden. 'Right now, when you look back, it's easy to say we could win at least two,' Ibaka said. 'It's easy to say, but it's not easy to do it. You know what I mean? Because there's a lot of things happen before you win a championship. On your way there, there is a lot of things can happen." Ibaka was another key piece in the Thunder's first championship window. He finished top four in Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons in OKC. He also led the NBA in blocks twice during his time there. He finally won a ring with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. 'Sometimes it's not always about talent. You can have all the talent like we had, but those things go with luck, too. Like I said, it's a lot of things," Ibaka said. "Sometimes people from outside, you cannot see it. Behind the door, there's a lot of things, a lot of work have to be done. So yeah, at least we could win minimum two.' The Durant-Westbrook Thunder era never bringing home an NBA championship is one of the biggest what-if scenarios in recent league history. They had all of the talent in the world to win at least won. But injuries and roster decisions prevented that from happening. Instead, it was Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren who finished the job. They had the greatest season in Thunder history. It's just funny how basketball and life can play out.
