Tampa duo Kucherov, Vasilevskiy win high awards
LAS VEGAS — Nikita Kucherov gratefully accepted the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award on Wednesday evening in recognition of his spectacular 128-point common season in Tampa Bay.
He may even be capable to benefit from the trophies sometime, every time the sting of the Lightning’s first-round postseason loss has pale.
Kucherov gained the NHL’s highest honors Wednesday evening, receiving the Hart because the league MVP and the Lindsay Award as the very best participant in response to a vote of his fellow execs.
The Russian proper wing additionally formally picked up the Artwork Ross Trophy because the NHL’s high scorer on the hockey world’s annual Vegas ceremony on the Mandalay Bay Occasions Middle.
“It is an enormous evening for me and my household,” stated Kucherov, who turned 26 on Monday. “However the primary factor is Stanley Cup. We need to make sure that we work more durable than we thought we did [last season]. All these particular person [awards], it is clearly good, however the primary factor is Stanley Cup for me.”
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Andrei Vasilevskiy, Kucherov’s Russian teammate, gained his first Vezina Trophy because the NHL’s high goalie in one other bittersweet recognition for the Lightning, who gained 62 regular-season video games earlier than getting swept by Columbus within the opening spherical.
Kucherov acquired 164 of 171 first-place votes in a runaway Hart victory over two-time MVP Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh, who completed second, and 2017 Hart winner Connor McDavid of Edmonton. The voting was no shock after Kucherov posted the NHL’s highest-scoring particular person season since 1996.
“When the crew performs good, the numbers will clearly be good,” Kucherov stated. “You simply attempt to not assume an excessive amount of about it. In the event you assume an excessive amount of, your recreation can simply go away, and unhealthy issues can occur. All my ideas had been about successful video games for my crew, and assist the crew get extra factors.”
A 12 months after scoring 100 factors, Kucherov emerged as maybe essentially the most spectacular scorer in hockey, placing up a career-best 41 targets and 87 assists. Kucherov tied Jaromir Jagr’s NHL file for assists by a wing, and he surpassed Alexander Mogilny’s single-season file for factors by a Russian-born participant.
Tampa Bay additionally posted 128 standings factors, essentially the most by any crew since 1996 — however Kucherov regrets that he had little affect through the Lightning’s beautiful sweep by the Blue Jackets. Kucherov served a one-game suspension for a harmful hit through the sequence, and he scored his solely two playoff factors within the Sport four defeat.
“Once I got here [to the U.S.], the primary factor was simply try to make the crew,” Kucherov stated. “Now all my ideas are simply to win the Cup, and produce the Cup again to Tampa, as a result of individuals deserve that. We have been taking part in good hockey, and I am certain if we maintain the crew [together], we will bounce again.”
Calgary’s Mark Giordano gained the Norris Trophy because the NHL’s high defenseman, incomes the award for the primary time at 35 years previous. Vancouver ahead Elias Pettersson gained the Calder Trophy given to the league’s high rookie, and Ryan O’Reilly added his first Selke Trophy because the NHL’s high defensive ahead to the Blues’ Stanley Cup victory.
Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders gained his second Jack Adams Award as the very best coach, whereas Boston’s Don Sweeney was named the league’s high normal supervisor.
However Kucherov was the headliner on an evening of a number of first-time winners on the NHL Awards ceremony, hosted by “Saturday Evening Stay” veteran Kenan Thompson. The Hart was offered by “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek, who acquired a standing ovation in one in all his first public appearances since asserting his battle with pancreatic most cancers.
Vasilevskiy beat out Dallas’ Ben Bishop and the Islanders’ Robin Lehner for the Vezina. The Russian is the primary Tampa Bay goalie to win the award, main the NHL with 39 victories whereas posting a 2.40 goals-against common and a .925 save proportion.
Trotz beat out Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper and St. Louis’ Craig Berube for the highest teaching honor. He additionally gained the award with Washington three years in the past.
Lightning proper wing Nikita Kucherov gained three awards Wednesday evening, together with the Hart Trophy because the NHL’s most respected participant. Ethan Miller/Getty Photographs
After successful the Stanley Cup and subsequently leaving the Capitals final summer time, Trotz engineered a formidable 23-point enchancment by the Isles for his or her greatest single-season file since 1983-84, even after shedding John Tavares to Toronto.
Trotz took a second after accepting the award to honor his goalie.
Lehner gained the Masterton Trophy because the participant exemplifying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Lehner grew to become a Vezina finalist after revealing throughout coaching camp that he has struggled with dependancy and bipolar dysfunction.
“I am not ashamed to say I am mentally ailing, however that does not imply mentally weak,” Lehner stated after accepting his award.
“I’ve had such an unbelievable outpouring of assist,” he added later. “There’s so many individuals which have contacted me that I nonetheless have not been capable of get to but, which might be simply scared to take that first step, petrified of doing the issues which might be obligatory to show their lives round. That is extremely rewarding.”
After becoming a member of a number of Blues teammates in carrying the Stanley Cup down the Vegas pink carpet, O’Reilly gained the Selke over Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, a four-time Selke winner and a finalist for the eighth consecutive 12 months, and Vegas’ Mark Stone.
O’Reilly was the Blues’ high scorer with 77 factors, together with 28 targets in his first season in St. Louis. He additionally compiled a plus-22 score and completed fourth within the NHL with 94 takeaways.
Giordano was rewarded for his exceptional efficiency 13 years into an NHL profession spent solely with the Flames. He’s the fourth defenseman to win the Norris at 35 or older, becoming a member of Nicklas Lidstrom, Doug Harvey and Al MacInnis.
“I take quite a lot of pleasure in figuring out off the ice and retaining myself in fine condition,” Giordano stated. “It isn’t straightforward to play late into your 30s. I believe we’re all conscious of that as gamers, however (we) attempt to final so long as you may.”
The Calgary captain led the NHL with a plus-39 score and scored a career-best 74 factors whereas recurrently taking part in in opposition to opponents’ greatest strains. Giordano beat out the final two winners of the Norris: San Jose’s Brent Burns and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.
The 20-year-old Pettersson joins Pavel Bure (1992) as the one Calder winners in Canucks historical past. Pettersson offered an offensive jolt to the Canucks, scoring a aim on his first NHL shot and ending with a rookie-best 28 targets and 38 assists.
Wild ahead Jason Zucker gained the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for management and humanitarian contributions to hockey. Florida heart Aleksander Barkov gained his first Girl Byng Trophy because the participant greatest combining sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and skill, whereas Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds gained the Mark Messier NHL Management Award.