Associated Press
LAS VEGAS -- Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin won the Hart Trophy on Wednesday night as the NHL’s most valuable player.
The Russian superstar and NHL scoring champion won the Hart for the first time at the NHL Awards ceremony at the Wynn Las Vegas casino. Malkin also collected the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer and the Ted Lindsay Award from his fellow NHLPA members as the NHL’s best player.
"It’s the best day of my life," Malkin said. "It’s very exciting."
Malkin, who turns 26 next month, won the Hart Trophy over Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who still won the Vezina Trophy for the first time.
Boston’s Patrice Bergeron has won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward.
Bergeron won the trophy at the NHL Awards ceremony on Wednesday night.
The 2011 Stanley Cup champion beat out St. Louis captain David Backes and Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk, a three-time Selke winner.
Bergeron had 22 goals and 42 assists for the Bruins while racking up a plus-36 rating as a dominant two-way player. Bergeron and Norris Trophy nominee Zdeno Chara formed the backbone of the Bruins’ defensive efforts in front of Tim Thomas.
Datsyuk won the award from 2008-10, and Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler won it last year. Bergeron and Backes had never been nominated for
Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson has won his first Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman.
The 22-year-old Swede beat out Boston’s Zdeno Chara and Nashville’s Shea Webee.
Karlsson led all defensemen with 78 points in his breakout season for the Senators, scoring 25 more points than anybody else at his position. He is the youngest winner of the award since the New York Islanders’ Denis Potvin in 1976. Karlsson is primarily an offensive defenseman, while Chara and Weber play more defensive games.
Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie.
Florida’s Brian Campbell became the first defenseman since 1954 to win the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanlike play, and Montreal forward Max Pacioretty won the Masterton Trophy for his comeback from serious injury.
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