NHL Announces 2006-07 Trophy Finalists

 

NHL PR

 

Goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, center Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and goaltender Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks have been voted finalists for the Hart Trophy as League MVP as the NHL announced today the nominees for eight annual awards.

Crosby and Luongo each received his first career Hart Trophy nomination, Brodeur his third. All three Hart finalists are nominees for multiple awards; Luongo also is a nominee for the Vezina Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award, Brodeur for the Vezina and Crosby for the Pearson.

The winners will be announced Thursday, June 14 during the 2007 NHL Awards Television Special at the historic Elgin Theatre in Toronto (CBC, 8:30 p.m., ET).

For the first time since the inception of the NHL Awards Television Special in 1983, there are more than the traditional three finalists for an NHL trophy. A third-place tie in balloting for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the League's top goaltender as voted by NHL General Managers, has resulted in invitations to four finalists for that honor.

Following are the finalists for each trophy, in alphabetical order:

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY(outstanding rookie): Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins; Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche.

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (outstanding defensive forward): Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes; Samuel Pahlsson, Anaheim Ducks; Jay Pandolfo, New Jersey Devils.

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (most valuable player to his team): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

JACK ADAMS AWARD (outstanding coach): Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres; Michel Therrien, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks.

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding defenseman): Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks; Chris Pronger, Anaheim Ducks.

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche; Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning.

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

VEZINA TROPHY (outstanding goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

All voting is conducted at the conclusion of the regular season. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association votes for five trophies (Hart, Norris, Selke, Calder and Lady Byng). The NHL General Managers vote for the Vezina Trophy. Members of the National Hockey League Players' Association select the Lester B. Pearson Award winner and the NHL Broadcasters’ Association votes on the Jack Adams Award. Results are tabulated by the accounting firm Ernst & Young.

Two other trophies, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey) and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy (leadership and humanitarian contribution to his community) also will be presented at the Awards ceremony.

Sidney Crosby, who captured the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring champion, Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier (Maurice Richard Trophy, League's top goal-scorer) and Minnesota Wild goaltenders Niklas Backstrom and Manny Fernandez (William Jennings Trophy, goaltenders for the club finishing the regular season with the fewest team goals against) will receive their respective trophies at a media luncheon to be held during the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, date and site to be determined.

Following is information on each nominee for NHL Trophies in 2006-07:

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY

The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded annually "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

EVGENI MALKIN - Center, Pittsburgh Penguins

· Led all rookies in goals (33), power-play goals (16), assists (52) and points (85) in 78 games.
· Became the first player in 89 years to tally goals in each of his first six NHL games.
· Scored 25 of his 33 goals with the Penguins trailing or tied.

JORDAN STAAL - Right Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins

· Tied for second among rookies with 29 goals; set a rookie mark with seven shorthanded goals.
· Feb. 10 at Toronto became the youngest NHL player to record a hat trick (18 years, 153 days).
· Led the Penguins and tied for second among rookies in plus-minus (+16).

PAUL STASTNY - Center, Colorado Avalanche

· Tied for the rookie lead in game-winning goals (six), ranked second in points (78) and power-play goals (11) and was fourth in goals (28) and shots (185).
· Led all players and set a rookie record by posting a 20-game point streak from Feb. 3 - Mar. 17.


FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY

The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded annually "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

ROD BRIND'AMOUR - Center, Carolina Hurricanes

· A Selke Trophy finalist for the second consecutive year; captured the award in 2005-06.
· Ranked third among NHL forwards in ice time per game (23:19).
· Led all players in face-offs taken (2,047), ranked second in face-off winning percentage (59.2%).

SAMUEL PAHLSSON - Right Wing, Anaheim Ducks

· A Selke Trophy finalist for the first time.
· Led all players in total shorthanded time on ice (367:14) and per-game average (4:28).
· Played in all 82 games, extending his club-leading 'ironman' streak to 275 contests.

JAY PANDOLFO - Left Wing, New Jersey Devils

· A Selke Trophy finalist for the first time.
· Played in all 82 games, extending his club-leading 'ironman' streak to 283 contests.
· The Devils allowed 201 goals, the fewest in the Eastern Conference and fifth-fewest overall.

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY

The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

MARTIN BRODEUR - Goaltender, New Jersey Devils

· A Hart Trophy finalist for the third time in the past four seasons; finished third in both 2002-03 and 2003-04.
· Won an NHL-record 48 games, surpassing Bernie Parent's 47 in 1973-74; also led NHL goaltenders in games (78), shutouts (12); ranked third in GAA (2.18) and save percentage (.922).

SIDNEY CROSBY - Center, Pittsburgh Penguins

· A Hart Trophy finalist for the first time; also a finalist for the Lester B. Pearson Award.
· Captured the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer with 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists); at 19 years, seven months, the youngest scoring leader in major pro sports history.
· The youngest Hart finalist since Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky (19) captured his first in 1979-80.

ROBERTO LUONGO - Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks

· A Hart Trophy finalist for the first time; also a finalist for the Vezina, Pearson awards.
· Compiled a 47-22-6 record in 76 games, including a 26-7-5 mark when facing 30+ shots; matched the NHL single-season victories record entering the season (Bernie Parent, 1973-74).
· Also among leaders in shots faced (third, 2,169) and save percentage (fourth, .921).


JACK ADAMS AWARD

The Jack Adams Award is awarded annually "to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success," as selected by the NHL Broadcasters' Association.

LINDY RUFF - Buffalo Sabres

· A Jack Adams finalist for the second consecutive year; captured the award in 2005-06.
· Led the Sabres to the first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history, posting a 53-22-7 record for 113 points; the Sabres were the NHL's highest-scoring team with 308 goals.
· Hired in July, 1997, Ruff holds the longest current tenure among NHL head coaches.

MICHEL THERRIEN - Pittsburgh Penguins

· A Jack Adams finalist for the first time.
· Led the Penguins to a 47-24-11 record for 105 points, a 47-point improvement over 2005-06, and earned a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2001.
· 47-point improvement the fourth-highest in NHL history.

ALAIN VIGNEAULT - Vancouver Canucks

· A Jack Adams finalist for the second time; finished second with Montreal in 2000.
· Led the Canucks to a franchise-record 49 victories (49-26-7, 105 points) and the Northwest Division title. Vigneault eclipsed the previous club mark of 46 set by Pat Quinn in 1992-93.
· The Canucks posted a League-best 32-8-6 record following the Dec. 24-25 schedule break.

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY

The James Norris Trophy is awarded annually "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

NICKLAS LIDSTROM - Detroit Red Wings

· Earned his eighth nomination as Norris finalist in the past nine seasons; has won the award
four times, from 2001 through 2003 and last season.
· Third in the NHL in ice time per game (27:29), tied for third overall and first among defensemen with a +40 rating; fifth among defensemen in scoring with 62 points (13 goals, 49 assists).

SCOTT NIEDERMAYER - Anaheim Ducks

· A Norris finalist for the third consecutive season; won the award with New Jersey in 2004, finished second with Anaheim in 2006.
· Led all defensemen in scoring with career-high totals in assists (54) and points (69).
· Ranked second in the NHL in average ice time per game (27:30).

CHRIS PRONGER - Anaheim Ducks

· A Norris Trophy finalist for the fourth time; captured the award in 2000 and finished third in 1998 and 2004 with the St. Louis Blues.
· Tallied his second-highest point total with 59 (13 goals, 46 assists) despite missing 16 games; fourth in the NHL in ice time per game (27:05).


LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is awarded annually "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

PAVEL DATSYUK - Center, Detroit Red Wings

· A Lady Byng finalist for the second consecutive season; captured the award in 2006.
· Led the Red Wings in scoring with 87 points (27 goals, 60 assists).
· Vying to become the first repeat winner of the Lady Byng since Paul Kariya in 1996 and 1997.
· Appeared in 79 games, assessed 20 minutes in penalties.

JOE SAKIC - Center, Colorado Avalanche

· A Lady Byng Trophy finalist for the fifth time; captured the award in 2001, finished second in 1992 and 2002 and was third in 1991.
· Was seventh in NHL scoring with 100 points (36 goals, 64 assists); became the second player to reach the century mark at age 37 or older (Gordie Howe scored 103 points at 40 in 1968-69).

MARTIN ST. LOUIS - Right Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning

· A Lady Byng finalist for the second time in three seasons; finished third in 2004.
· Ranked fifth in NHL scoring, setting career highs in goals (43), assists (59) and points (102); led the League in shorthanded points (5-6--11) and all forwards in ice time per game (24:09).
· Played in all 82 games, assessed 28 minutes in penalties.

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD

The Lester B. Pearson Award is presented annually to the "most outstanding player" in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

SIDNEY CROSBY - Center, Pittsburgh Penguins

· Youngest player to ever be nominated for Lester B. Pearson Award.
· Youngest player to win the scoring title (120 points).
· Led the NHL in power play assists (48) and power play points (61).

VINCENT LECAVALIER - Center, Tampa Bay Lightning

· Ranked first in the NHL in goals (52) and third in points (108).
· His 52 goals accounted for 20% of his club's season total.
· A Lester B. Pearson finalist for the first time.

ROBERTO LUONGO - Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks

· A Lester B. Pearson finalist for the second time (2003-04).
· Finished second in victories (47), tying Bernie Parent's former NHL record.
· Faced the NHL's third-highest number of shots on goal (2,169) and ranked sixth in the League in GAA (2.29) and shutouts (five) and was fourth in save percentage (.921).


VEZINA TROPHY

The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually "to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position," as voted by League General Managers.

MARTIN BRODEUR - New Jersey Devils

· Earned his seventh career nomination as a Vezina finalist; captured the award in 2003 and 2004, finished second in 1997, 1998 and 2006, was third in 2001.
· Won an NHL-record 48 games, surpassing Bernie Parent's 47 in 1973-74; led the NHL in shutouts (12), ranked third in goals-against average (2.18) and save percentage (.922).

MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF - Calgary Flames

· A Vezina Trophy finalist for the third consecutive season; captured the award in 2006 and finished second in 2004.
· Posted a 40-24-9 record in 74 games; tied for third overall in shutouts (seven).

HENRIK LUNDQVIST - New York Rangers

· A Vezina Trophy finalist for the second consecutive season; finished third in 2006.
· Posted a 37-22-8 record in 70 games; tied for third overall in shutouts (seven)
· Finished the season with a 16-4-5 record, 1.72 GAA and .936 save percentage in 27 games.

ROBERTO LUONGO - Vancouver Canucks

· A Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time; also a finalist for the Hart, Pearson awards.
· Compiled a 47-22-6 record in 76 games, including a 26-7-5 mark when facing 30+ shots; matched the NHL single-season victories record entering the season (Bernie Parent, 1973-74).

Photo: Sidney Crosby in just his second season is nominated for league MVP © Chris Fuller (HV)