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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

2010 NHL Awards Winners

Hart Memorial Trophy

Finalists: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Henrik Sedin
Winner: Henrik Sedin
Our Take: Over the past decade or so, the player that wins the Art Ross Trophy (leading scorer) tends to take home the Hart Trophy, which is exactly what happened here. Sedin had an incredible season with the Canucks, leading the league with 112 points, including 83 assists. Kind of a surprise that Ovechkin didn't win his third in a row, seeing as how this was his best season statistically (at least as far as points per game are concerned).

Vezina Trophy

Finalists: Martin Brodeur, Ilya Bryzgalov, Ryan Miller
Winner: Ryan Miller
Our Take: It shouldn't have played a role, but is it possible that his outstanding Olympic run played a part here? He's a deserving winner, but a pretty good argument can be made for Ilya Bryzgalov, not only for this award, but for the Hart Trophy as well.

James Norris Memorial Trophy

Finalists: Drew Doughty, Mike Green, Duncan Keith
Winner: Duncan Keith
Our Take: Keith caps off an incredible year that saw him win Olympic Gold, the Stanley Cup and now the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman. Hard to top that. Mike Green was a finalist for the second year in a row, while the 20-year-old Doughty is sure to be a finalist, and perhaps a winner, for years to come.

Calder Memorial Trophy

Finalists: Matt Duchene, Jimmy Howard, Tyler Myers
Winner: Tyler Myers
Our Take: Not much of a surprise. Myers emerged as one of Buffalo's best players throughout the season and looks as if he's going to be a force on the blue line for years to come. He led all rookies in total ice time and his 48 points were third among all rookies, and tops for rookie defensemen.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Finalists: Pavel Datsyuk, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis
WInner: Martin St. Louis
Our Take: A bit of a surprise as Datsyuk owned it the past four years. St. Louis finished the season with only 12 penalty minutes, after registering just 14 the year before.

Frank J. Selke Trophy

Finalists: Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kesler, Jordan Staal
Winner: Pavel Datsyuk
Our Take: It's Datsyuk's third straight Selke Trophy, joining Bob Gainey as the only other player to complete the three-peat. Gainey is the only player that's won the award more times (four), while Datsyuk is now tied with Jere Lehtinen and Guy Carbonneau with three for second most all time. Datsyuk led the NHL with an incredible 132 takeaways. Ryan Kesler, the No. 2 man, had 83.

Jack Adams Award

Finalists: Joe Sacco, Dave Tippett, Barry Trotz
Winner: Dave Tippett
Our Take: What? You were expecting somebody else? This might have been the easiest vote of the night.

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Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Finalists: Kurtis Foster, Jed Ortmeyer, Jose Theodore
Winner: Jose Theodore
Our Take: Three very deserving finalists, but Theodore is an excellent choice after tragically losing his infant son, Chace, a year ago. He has since founded a charity named Saves For Kids that raises money for the hospital (Children's National Medical Center) that cared for his son.

Ted Lindsay Award

Finalists: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Henrik Sedin
Winner: Alex Ovechkin
Our Take: Formally the Lester B. Pearson, this award goes to the best player as voted by the players. It's Ovechkin's third straight year taking home the hardware, which speaks volumes as to what his fellow players think of his abilities. Outside of Ovechkin, only Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur have won it three years in a row.

Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award

Finalists: Sidney Crosby, Shane Doan, Ryan Miller
Winner: Sidney Crosby
Our Take: Messier said that he chose Crosby because he's been able to separate himself from the rest of the league and the way he's been a leader not just for Pittsburgh, but for the entire league. Not sure what the award means, as it's simply Messier picking the winner himself.

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