Rangers' Adam Fox named a Norris Trophy finalist
The Rangers' Adam Fox celebrates his third-period shorthanded goal against the Penguins in an NHL game on April 6, 2021. Credit: AP/Bruce Bennett
A year after he failed to finish in the top three in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, Rangers defenseman and Jericho native Adam Fox was named Wednesday as one of the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman.
Fox, 23, joined Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman, a finalist for the fifth consecutive season, and 2020 Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar, as the top three vote-getters in the balloting for the Norris.
Fox, the first Rangers player to be a Norris Trophy finalist since Brian Leetch won the award for the second time in 1996-97, was second in the league in scoring among defensemen with 47 points (five goals and 42 assists) in 55 games. He finished one point behind Edmonton’s Tyson Barrie, who had 48. Fox led all defensemen in assists.
Fox, a second-year player in 2021, made a significant jump from his rookie season in 2019-20 by adding penalty-killing duties and first-pair responsibilities to his resume. He was 11th overall in the league in ice time, averaging 24 minutes and 42 seconds per game. He also quarterbacked the Rangers’ top power-play unit, and he was third among defensemen in power-play points (23) and second in power-play assists (21).
Originally a third-round pick by Calgary in the 2016 draft, Fox was traded to Carolina in 2018 as part of the deal that sent Dougie Hamilton to Carolina. The Rangers acquired Fox from Carolina in April 2019 and signed him to a contract after three years of college hockey at Harvard. Fox played every game of the 2019-20 season and every game but one in 2021, missing a game after being placed on the COVID-19 restricted list.
If Fox wins the award, he would be the fourth Rangers player to do so, after Leetch (1992, 1997), Harry Howell (1967) and Doug Harvey (1962).
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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