THE CANADIAN PRESS
LAS VEGAS — Corey Perry barely had to speak.
The look on the face of the Anaheim Ducks forward said everything about how much it meant to be given the Hart Trophy on Wednesday night. In fact, Perry even got a little choked up after accepting an award that is inscribed with names like Howe, Gretzky and Lemieux.
"(I) didn’t know what to expect coming in and all of sudden you hear your name and you’re like ‘woah,"’ said Perry. "It surprised me. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my teammates and I’ve got a lot of family and friends here so it’s pretty special."
He beat out Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin and Tampa’s Martin St. Louis to claim the trophy given to a player deemed to be the most valuable to his team.
No one could have predicted this back in February. It was around that time Perry started on an unbelievable run that saw him score 19 goals in the final 16 games of the regular season to become the only player in the league to hit the 50-goal barrier.
He finished the year right on hockey’s magic number for goal-scoring — good enough to vault him into elite company as a winner of the Hart Trophy.
"I haven’t sat down and looked at it, but obviously you do know who is on that list and on that trophy," said Perry. "It’s a pretty remarkable list. Just in the recent years, the guys that have won this.
"It’s going to take some time to sink in."
The 26-year-old has steadily improved during his time in the NHL and was part of the Canadian team that won gold at the Vancouver Olympics last year.
However, it’s still going to take some time to get used to the fact he’ll now be able to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and see his name etched in to one of the league’s most prestigious pieces of hardware.
"I’ve been there a couple times and you see all those trophies in there," said Perry. "All of a sudden, you’re holding one of them. It’s pretty cool. It’s kind of like a dream come true I guess."
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Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom wins seventh Norris Trophy as NHL’s top defenceman
Nicklas Lidstrom has been named the NHL’s best defenceman for the seventh time in his storied career.
A record-tying eighth Norris Trophy may not be far behind.
Dressed in a dark suit with a navy and red tie, the 41-year-old Red Wings captain accepted his seventh Norris at the NHL awards Wednesday, beating out Boston captain Zdeno Chara and Nashville defenceman Shea Weber.
The award came days after Lidstrom announced he would return for his 20th season with Detroit. He signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings worth US$6.2 million on Monday.
"It feels surreal having reached seven Norrises, especially at this stage in my career," said Lidstrom. "I’m very proud to still be able to play at this level and win another Norris."
Lidstrom’s seventh Norris tied Montreal star Doug Harvey, and he now only trails the legendary Bobby Orr’s record of eight.
"It gives me some motivation to get ready for next season now having won another Norris," Lidstrom said. "I think it helps going through the off-season workouts."
Lidstrom, who twice has won the award in three consecutive years (from 2000-01 to ’02-03 and 2005-06 to ’07-08), said he thought one of the other nominees would win this year.
"Chara and Weber had great seasons. I felt like it could be anyone’s trophy really," he said.
Lidstrom became the first 40-year-old defenceman to score more than 60 points in a NHL season when he had 62 (16 goals, 46 assists) points in 2011. This season also marked the first time in Lidstrom’s career he posted a minus rating, finishing with a minus-2.
Rob Blake of Los Angeles in 1998 was the last player to win the Norris with a minus mark.
As much success as Lidstrom has had with the Norris, he’s never been able to capture the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy — losing out again this year when Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis took home the hardware.
"I don’t know," Lidstrom said shaking his head, after missing out for the sixth time on the honour given annually for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.
"I think Pavel (Detroit teammate Pavel Datsyuk) taking that fighting major helped me get here. Maybe I should thank him a little bit for getting me here and just being one of the three guys nominated."
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Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler takes home first Selke Trophy
Ryan Kesler finally has his hands on the Selke Trophy.
The Vancouver Canucks centre was named the NHL’s top defensive forward in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, beating out Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews.
"I don’t think you ever set a goal to win the award, but I do pride myself on defencesive side of the game," said Kesler. "It’s nice to get acknowledged. I guess all those years my dad was yelling ‘backcheck’ at me finally paid off."
Kesler was a finalist for the award the past two seasons.
He led all NHL forwards in blocked shots this season with 80 and racked up a career-best faceoff percentage of 57.4 per cent.
"Everything kind of happened for me this year — 41 goals and to win the Selke is a season I’ll never forget," said Kesler.
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Boston’s Tim Thomas wins 2nd Vezina Trophy as NHL’s best goaltender
THE CANADIAN PRESS
LAS VEGAS — Tim Thomas isn’t ready to rank where his incredible season stands in NHL history.
The affable Boston netminder won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s outstanding goaltender at the NHL awards Wednesday, capping a season in which he led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup championship.
"I haven’t had that much time to think about something like that," said Thomas. "If I do get the time this summer, I’m going to try as hard as I can not to think about something like that.
"I’m still playing and the way I feel I still got many good years ahead of me. The goal is always to get better. I’d like to see what I could do to raise the bar even higher. To push myself to new limits."
Thomas set an NHL record for save percentage when he finished at .938, surpassing Dominik Hasek’s .937 set in the 1998-89 season. He also had a league-low 2.00 goals-against average and nine shutouts.
Those imposing figures lifted him over fellow Vezina finalists Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne in voting by the league’s 40 general managers.
The 37-year-old overcame a hip injury that left his starting job with Boston in doubt before last season, but years of toiling in Europe and minor-league hockey helped him persevere.
"It’s a story of putting in the work and it will pay off in the end," said Thomas.
Thomas also took home the award in 2009, but said both trophies were special for different reasons.
"The first time was pretty special because of how far I had come. It looked unattainable," said Thomas, who earlier in the week allowed his trademark beard to be shaved (although he kept a short moustache.)
"This one is just as special, but special in a different way after last year and everything that happened this year."
A year that saw Thomas go from three-a-day workouts to recover from off-season hip surgery to bringing home the Stanley Cup and all the hardware he could carry also earned him some Hall of Fame praise.
"Congratulating Tim Thomas welcome to the club," tweeted Bernie Parent, a Hall of Fame goalie with the Philadelphia Flyers. Parent and Thomas are now the only two players in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies in the same season.
Thomas smiled when he learned of Parent’s tweet.
"That’s the stuff I really enjoy hearing more than anything else," he said. "It’s amazing that he did it two years in a row. I’m going to try and do something similar."
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Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner claims Calder Trophy as rookie of the year
The NHL’s youngest player has been crowned as its best rookie.
Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes claimed the Calder Trophy on Wednesday, beating out San Jose’s Logan Couture and Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
Skinner led all rookies in scoring with 63 points during a season where he was selected to the all-star team.
He only celebrated his 19th birthday last month.
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Lightning forward Martin St. Louis wins second straight Lady Byng
Martin St. Louis is taking home the Lady Byng Trophy for the second straight season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forward was named the NHL’s most gentlemanly player in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association on Wednesday.
He beat out Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings and Loui Eriksson of the Dallas Stars.
St. Louis finished second in scoring with 99 points this season and was assessed just 12 penalty minutes — matching his career low
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Canucks forward Daniel Sedin wins Ted Lindsay Award as MVP by peers
Daniel Sedin is the NHL’s most valuable player in the eyes of his peers.
The Vancouver Canucks forward took home the Ted Lindsay Award on Wednesday as MVP in voting by the players.
Sedin edged out Anaheim’s Corey Perry and Tampa’s Steven Stamkos.
The Swede led the league in scoring with 104 points.
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Canucks goaltenders Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider accepted the William Jennings Trophy
The Award goes to the goaltenders on the team allowing the fewest goals in the regular season.
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Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins recognized as NHL’s top coach
Dan Bylsma is the NHL’s coach of the year.
He was recognized with the Jack Adams Award on Wednesday after helping the Pittsburgh Penguins register 106 points despite losing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to serious injuries.
Bylsma finished ahead of Nashville’s Barry Trotz and Vancouver’s Alain Vigneault in voting conducted by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
The 40-year-old has spent parts of the past three seasons coaching the Penguins.
Entertainer Donny Osmond presented Bylsma with the award.
-With files from The Associated Press
