Ovechkin again grabs hold of Hart, Pearson trophies
Capitals star left-winger named MVP by writers, NHL Players' Association
Last Updated: Friday, June 19, 2009 | 3:21 AM ET
CBC Sports
Capitals' Alex Ovechkin holds the Hart Memorial Trophy as he gets ready to pose with his Lester Pearson and Maurice Richard trophies at the NHL awards in Las Vegas on Thursday night. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)Usually one of the NHL's biggest jokesters, a serious Alex Ovechkin graciously accepted the Hart Trophy as league MVP for the second season in a row.
Then he relayed a message to hockey fans across the world and his employer, the Washington Capitals.
"I like playing in Canadian cities, but right now, my favourite town to play hockey [in] is Washington," the star left-winger told a noisy crowd at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, the site of Thursday night's NHL awards ceremony.
"I know our owner is here [Ted Leonsis] and [general manager] George [McPhee is] here, so guys, thank you, and watch next year. I hope the Stanley Cup will be ours."
Ovechkin, 23, beat out fellow Russians Pavel Datsyuk and 2008-09 NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin for the Hart Trophy.
He becomes the league's first back-to-back MVP since goaltender Dominik Hasek captured the award in 1997 and 1998 with the Buffalo Sabres and the first forward to do it since Wayne Gretzky won the Hart Trophy eight straight times from 1980 to 1987.
"It's all about team, it's all about organization, and I'm glad I'm playing in a great organization," Ovechkin said after receiving the award from Capitals teammate Sergei Fedorov, the first Russian to win the Hart in 1994.
It was the first individual trophy presented by the league in 1924, three years before the Stanley Cup — which began as a challenge-based award in 1893 — was awarded to the NHL champion.
Also Thursday, Ovechkin took home the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL's most valuable player in the eyes of his teammates and opponents.
Ovechkin scored a league-best 56 goals this season, finishing with 110 points — three behind scoring champion Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins — to lead the Washington Capitals to a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
A year ago, Ovechkin also won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring leader, with 112 points, and the Rocket Richard Trophy as goal-scoring leader, with 65. This season, he locked up a second Richard Trophy.
Datsyuk a double winner
Pavel Datsyuk, who failed to repeat as a Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings, was named the NHL's most gentlemanly player for a fourth consecutive season.
Fresh off a Game 7 loss to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup final, the Red Wings centre was the recipient of the Lady Byng Trophy.
Datsyuk, who beat out New Jersey's Zach Parise and Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis for the award, led the Red Wings in assists (65) and points (97) during the regular season, but stayed away from the penalty box with just 22 minutes in infractions.
"To be considered [for] this award with such strong competition is a great honour," said Datsyuk. "Never give up on your dreams."
In 1925, the Lady Byng Trophy was awarded to the most gentlemanly player. Three years later, New York Rangers forward Frank Boucher won his first of four straight Lady Byngs, a feat Datsyuk matched Thursday.
Datsyuk also repeated as winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward.
The Russian forward ranked second among all NHLers with 89 takeaways, was third with a plus-34 rating and won 56 per cent of his faceoffs (636 of 1,135).
Last season, Datsyuk became the second player in league history to win both awards, joining Ron Francis, the 1995 recipient.
Thomas tops in net
Tim Thomas led the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage this season and stayed on top in Las Vegas.
The Boston Bruin goalie beat out Columbus's Steve Mason and Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender.
Thomas, 35, played a huge role in the Bruins finishing atop the Eastern Conference standings after an 82-game regular season, fashioning a 2.10 GAA and .933 save percentage in 54 games.
His voice cracking with emotion, Thomas composed himself long enough to deliver the line of the night.
"When you look at the names on the Vezina Trophy," he said — referring to the likes of Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk, Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur — "they're legends and it's humbling to even be mentioned in the same sentence.
"I've been more worried about getting my name on a roster than I have been about winning the Vezina Trophy," he said to a roar of applause.
"I'd like to dedicate this to all the people that believed in me. Their belief never wavered from my earliest ages."
Big man Chara nabs Norris Trophy
Watching Red Wings rearguard Nicklas Lidstrom accept the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman has been a common sight in recent years, but it was Zdeno Chara standing on the stage at the Palms Hotel Thursday.
The Slovakian had a career-high 19 goals and was a plus-23 rating in 80 games. He beat out Washington Capitals blue-liner Mike Green and Lidstrom for the honour.
"I know this is an individual award, but to me it's just a reflection of team play," Chara said. "I want to thank all of my teammates for their contribution … trust, respect, but most of all, creating a big family in Boston."
Lidstrom, who was seeking his seventh Norris Trophy in eight seasons, is coming off another solid season in which he scored 16 goals and had a plus-31 rating in 78 games.
Green earned his first Norris nomination after leading all defencemen in goals (31) and points (73).
The Calgary native became the seventh blue-liner in league history to score 30 goals in a season and the first since Washington's Kevin Hatcher during the 1992-93 campaign.
Calder resides in Columbus
Steve Mason has a playoff appearance and a rookie of the year award to show for his first season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Oakville, Ont., native took home the Calder Trophy on Thursday night, besting Anaheim Ducks right-winger Bobby Ryan and Chicago Blackhawks left-winger Kris Versteeg.
A finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top netminder, Mason led the Blue Jackets to their first playoff appearance berth in franchise history.
He also topped all goalies last season with 10 shutouts — the first rookie leader since Tony Esposito had 15 in 1970 — and finished second in goals-against average (2.29).
One of the best moments of the evening came when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presented Montreal Canadiens great Jean Beliveau with a lifetime achievement award, calling him the "emblem of elegance and class."
The audience responded with a standing ovation.
There was also a nice ovation when cancer-stricken former NHL coach Pat Burns presented the Jack Adams Award to Boston Bruins bench boss Claude Julien.
Of the NHL's 22 current awards, 18 are annual individual trophies, with the most recent addition being the Mark Messier Leadership Award, created in 2007.
Voting for the awards is conducted at the conclusion of the regular season, with the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) casting ballots for the Hart, Norris, Selke, Lady Byng and Calder trophies.
The PHWA also votes on the Bill Masterton Trophy (sportsmanship and dedication to hockey) while the NHL's 30 general managers vote on the Vezina.
The NHL Broadcasters' Association (NHLBA) determines the winner of the Jack Adams Trophy (coach of the year), and a special panel of representatives from the PHWA and the NHLBA chooses the recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and contribution to community.
Other award recipients on Thursday:
BILL MASTERTON MEMORIAL TROPHY
Sportsmanship and dedication to hockey
- Steve Sullivan, Nashville Predators
KING CLANCY MEMORIAL TROPHY
Leadership and contribution to community
- Ethan Moreau, Edmonton Oilers
JACK ADAMS TROPHY
Coach of the year
- Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
MARK MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD
- Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
