The NHL Fan Choice Awards are here, ready to give some needed excitement to the 28 NHL teams who are currently watching the playoffs from their couches.
The awards cover a wide range of categories - from "best mascot" to "best dressed" and even "best bromance". Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene headline the Columbus Blue Jacket nominations, with three between the two.
The Blue Jackets saw no limelight in categories specific to, you know, actually playing hockey ("goal of the year", "save of the year"), but their extra-curricular activities drew plenty of attention.
The first of Artemi Panarin's two nominations is under the "best dog" category - with him and his pup named Riziy.
Next up for Panarin is the "gif of the year", and it'd be a shame if he didn't take home the gold for this one:
with the moves. @9Artemi pic.twitter.com/evUnkCYOGw
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) October 28, 2018
It would be really nice to see some more of this in a Blue Jackets' sweater in 2019-2020, huh?
Finally, Matt Duchene rounds out the list with his nomination under "best follow", mainly relating to his Instagram account:
Duchene's account is also flooded with adorable photos of his infant son and him displaying his love for country music singing. Just a stand-up guy all-around.
You can vote for both Panarin and Duchene to win their respective categories at NHL.com - voting will officially close on June 15.
