Kucherov, Barzal headline PHWA mid-season Awards

We throw back to 1947 when the NHL played their first All-Star Game. Back then it was the defending league champion Maple Leafs against a squad of All-Stars where dust-ups, hard hits and physical play was the norm.

Award season is arriving early this year in the NHL with the revival of the Midseason Awards.

Originally called the “Half Season Awards,” it’s an old tradition that lasted up until 1968, and has been re-introduced this year as the hockey world descends upon Tampa Bay for All-Star Weekend.

In addition to over 150 members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, who will also cast their annual year-end NHL Award ballots, the revived Midseason Awards include input from 2,000 fans who were given the chance to voice their own opinions.

“We are all thrilled to see the Midseason Awards make their return to the hockey calendar,” PHWA president Mark Spector said in a statement accompanying Friday’s results. “It’s a very useful exercise for those PHWA members who vote on end-of-season NHL Awards in April, and judging by the response of the hundreds of hockey fans who cast their votes, including our readers in this process will ensure that this project only grows from here.”

Here are the full results for each award:

Hart Trophy
Awarded to “the player adjudged to be most valuable to his team.”
1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. John Tavares, New York Islanders

Norris Trophy
Awarded to “the defenceman who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability in the position.”
1. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
3. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars

Selke Trophy
Awarded to “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”
1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
2. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
3. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Calder Trophy
Awarded to “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.”
1. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
2. Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks
3. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins

Lady Byng Trophy
Awarded to “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”
1. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, Buffalo Sabres

Vezina Trophy
Awarded to “the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position.”
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
3. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

Jack Adams Award
Awarded to “the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.”
1. Gerard Gallant, Vegas Golden Knights
2. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Paul Maurice, Winnipeg Jets

GM of the Year
Awarded to “the General Manager adjudged to have contributed most to his team’s success.”
1. George McPhee, Vegas Golden Knights
2. Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Ray Shero, New Jersey Devils

Rod Langway Award*
Awarded to “the defenceman who best excels in the defensive aspect of the game.”
1. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
2. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Comeback Player of the Year*
Awarded to “the player who returned to a previous high level of performance that was interrupted by subpar play, long-term injury or major illness.”
1. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Brian Boyle, New Jersey Devils
3. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers

*Denotes new awards added to the Midseason ballot.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.