Washington Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin snagged the Hart Trophy as the NHL most valuable player (MVP) for the second straight year on Thursday. Ovechkin also walked off with the NHL Players’ Association’s Lester B. Pearson Award, given to the most outstanding player in voting by fellow players.
It made no difference that the awards ceremony was moved to Las Vegas from Toronto to make it a more glitzy spectacle. Ovechkin, the leading goal scorer in each of the past two seasons, stood out above the rest.
Ovechkin said he planned to send his trophies to his family’s home in Russia for safekeeping.
“My parents take care of it,” the 23-year-old winger said.
He also won US$10,000 for the award.
Pavel Datsyuk couldn’t top Ovechkin for the Hart or Pearson awards, but he did pull off a double play for the second consecutive season. Datsyuk, the Detroit Red Wings’ outstanding two-way center, claimed the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward and the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play and skill.
Datsyuk, who nearly helped the Red Wings to a second straight Stanley Cup title after returning from injury during the finals, has won the Lady Byng for four consecutive years and the Selke twice in a row.
The Boston Bruins’ Tim Thomas, who had a 2.10 goals-against average, won the Vezina Trophy for best goalie, and 2.06m Zdeno Chara earned the Norris Trophy as top defenseman, breaking the three-year winning streak of Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom.
Bruins coach Claude Julien was given the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach.
Columbus goalie Steve Mason took the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year after leading the NHL with 10 shutouts and ranking second with a 2.29 goals-against average. He was the first rookie to lead the NHL in shutouts since Chicago’s Tony Esposito in 1970.
Ovechkin scored a league-high 56 goals during the regular season and was rewarded at the Palms Casino Resort. He is the first back-to-back Hart winner since Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek in 1997 and 1998.
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