Now that the 2009 NHL Awards are in the books here are the voting results from NHL.com as well as a brief description of the winner followed by the Illegalcurve Contributor’s selections. In addition to our own mini-contest, Illegalcurve’s Editor Richard took part in a prediction contest versus hockey bloggers from across the spectrum. He faced off with From the Rink‘s James Mirtle, Kukla’s Korner editor Paul Kukla, Puck Daddy‘s Greg Wyshynski and Reasonable Doubt from Melt Your Face Off.
Hart Memorial Trophy:
Ovechkin was a runaway choice for the Hart, receiving 115 of 133 first-place votes for 1,264 points in balloting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who tallied 12 first-place votes and was the second choice on 71 ballots, was runner-up for the second consecutive season with 787 points.
1. Alex Ovechkin, WSH 1264 (115-14-2-2-0);
2. Evgeni Malkin, PIT 787 (12-71-27-9-8);
3. Pavel Datsyuk, DET 404 (4-14-38-19-19).
IC Contributor who selected Ovechkin: David, Richard, Ari
Calder Memorial Trophy:
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. Named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for both November and December, he posted a franchise-record three straight shutouts in late December during a four-game winning streak in which he stopped 94 of 95 shots. Mason finished strong, going 8-2-4 from Mar. 7-Apr.8 as Columbus captured the first playoff berth in franchise history. His 10 shutouts led the League and his 2.29 goals against average ranked second to Tim Thomas’ 2.10 for Boston.
1. Steve Mason, CBJ 1268 (121-6-2-2-0);
2. Bobby Ryan, ANA 829 (9-84-24-9-4);
3. Kris Versteeg, CHI 323 (1-8-26-35-22).
IC Contributors who selected Mason: David, Ezra, Kyle, Richard, Ari, Drew
James Norris Memorial Trophy:
Zdeno Chara captured his first Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman in his third time as a finalist. Chara was the cornerstone of a Bruins defense that helped the club post the NHL’s lowest goals-per-game figure this season (2.29). He ranked sixth in the NHL in average ice time (26:04), was 12th among all defensemen in scoring with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) and posted a +23 rating.
1. Zdeno Chara, BOS 1034 (68-36-18-4-0)
2. Mike Green, WSH 982 (50-53-19-4-4)
3. Nicklas Lidstrom, DET 733 (14-34-58-19-8)
IC Contributors who selected Chara: Kyle, Richard, Ari, Drew
Vezina Trophy:
The Bruins’ Tim Thomas claimed his first Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender in voting among League General Managers. Thomas backstopped the Bruins to their highest victory (53) and points (116) totals since 1971-72. He led the NHL in goals against average (2.10) and save percentage (.933) while posting a career-high 36 wins.
1. Tim Thomas, BOS 127 (22-5-2)
2. Steve Mason, CBJ 33 (3-4-6)
3. Niklas Backstrom, MIN 31 (1-8-2)
IC Contributors who selected Thomas: David, Ezra, Kyle, Richard, Drew
Jack Adams Award:
Bruins’ Claude Julien won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in voting by members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. Julien guided the Bruins to the Eastern Conference’s top record, finishing 53-19-10 for 116 points — the third-highest total in franchise history, a 22-point increase over 2007-08 and 40 points more than 2006-07.
1. Claude Julien, BOS 224 (35-14-7)
2. Andy Murray, STL 135 (15-17-9)
3. Todd McLellan, S.J. 98 (9-14-11)
IC Contributors who selected Julien: David, Kyle, Richard, Drew
Frank J. Selke Trophy:
In capturing his second consecutive Frank Selke Trophy as the League’s outstanding defensive forward, Datsyuk edged Philadelphia Flyers center Mike Richards 945-942 in the closest Selke vote since the trophy was introduced in 1978.
1. Pavel Datsyuk, DET 945 (55-48-8-5-4)
2. Mike Richards, PHI 942 (61-42-6-2-2)
3. Ryan Kesler, VAN 290 (1-9-33-14-10)
IC Contributors who selected Datsyuk: David
Lady Byng Trophy:
Datsyuk joins Hockey Hall of Fame forward Frank Boucher as the only players in League history to capture the Lady Byng Trophy for four consecutive seasons.
1. Pavel Datsyuk, DET 933 (64-35-4-7-7)
2. Martin St. Louis, T.B. 662 (30-22-36-7-7)
3. Zach Parise, N.J. 521 (15-30-23-14-4)
IC Contributors who selected Datsyuk: Kyle, Richard, Drew
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:
Nashville Predators forward Steve Sullivan received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Sullivan’s perseverance was measured in months, not weeks or days. He missed almost two full years – 687 days, to be precise – following a back injury suffered in February of 2007. When Sullivan returned to the Nashville lineup on Jan. 10, he became just the third player since World War II (Mario Lemieux, Jim Peplinski) to play 150 games with a team, then miss at least 600 consecutive days before returning to the same team.
IC Contributors who selected Sullivan: Ezra
For those keeping score at home the IC Contributors did pretty well tonight.
1. Richard – 6/8
2. Ari – 3/5
3. Dave – 5/8
4. Kyle – 5/8
5. Drew – 5/8
6. Ezra – 3/8
