To sum up every season, the NHL presents 13 awards to players and staff who have exemplified great skill, courage, and decision making in their respective areas within the game. The awards were handed out at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The Hart Trophy
The Hart Trophy is presented every year to the Most Valuable Player of the League. The three finalists were Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sydney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers
Out of these three, Alex Trebek, Jeopardy Host, presented Russian winger Nikita Kucherov with the award. Earlier in the year Kucherov and the Lightning had won the Presidents Trophy, the award handed out to the team with the most points after the regular season.
Kucherov finished the regular season with 128 points, a combination of 87 assists and 41 goals. Despite the teams great success shown through players such as Nikita Kucherov and others who won awards, they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets in a major upset.
O’Ree Award
The O’Ree Award is presented to individuals who have helped make a positive impact on their communities by making people better through hockey. This years winner was Rico Phillips, a firefighter from the city of Flint, Michigan. Phillips’ founded the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey program. The program lasts 9 weeks, and allows children to play hockey for free. Throughout the course of the program each year, parents and high school hockey teams provide support and mentorship to the athletes of the program.
Messier Leadership Award
The Messier Leadership Award is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on the ice, but also off the ice in his local community. The winner was Wayne Simmonds of the Nashville Predators. Simmonds is a board member of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Simmonds also had multiple meetings and interactions with military members and veterans throughout the course of the year.
Vezina Award
The award handed to the best Goaltender of the season, and there was no one more deserving than Andrei Vasilevskiy, star goalkeeper of the Tampa Bay Lightning and a major reason for why they tied the record of most Regular Season Wins at 62. However it brings up the ever-remaining question of how Tampa was swept even with two phenomenal players on their team.
Jack Adams Award
The Jack Adams Award is given to the best coach of the year. The winner this year helped his team do 23 points better than the 2017-18 season, and inspired his team to yield the NHL season low number of goals at 196. In 2017-18, this team had led the NHL in goals allowed, and had now flipped it all around. The winner, Barry Trotz, New York Islanders.
Selke Trophy
This prize is given to the Best Defensive Forward in the NHL, and none better than one who helped his team win the Stanley Cup. Ryan O’Reilly has led the league in face-off wins for two years straight, and in the top ten of face-off wins with over 450 taken. O’Reilly had 77 points, 49 of them assists, 28 goals, and a true leader for the Blues.
Bill Masterton Trophy
The Masterton Trophy is given to the athlete that best depicts characteristics of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication. The winner was Robin Lehner of the New York Islanders who has had an incredible story. He went from having addiction problems and mental issues to being one of the top 3 candidates for the Vezina Trophy.
Norris Trophy
Mark Giordano won the Norris Trophy and was honored as the best defenseman in the league. Giordano had 74 points, a career high, and had a +39 rating, the best in the NHL.
Giordano takes great pride in taking these great strides at such a great age,at 36, which is way past his prime. He explains,
“I take a lot of pride working out off the ice, keeping myself in good shape. But still, it's not easy to play late into your 30s,"
Ted Lindsay Award
Nikita Kucherov, for his second award of the night, won the Ted Lindsay Award for being the NHL’s most outstanding player after he led the league in scoring. He had 41 goals and 87 assists for a total of 128 points, the greatest by any Russian player.
King Clancy Trophy
This award is given to the player who best shows leadership attributes on and off the ice and has made notable humanitarian contributions in their community. The winner was Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild. Zucker has opened the “Zucker Family Suite and Broadcast Studio” which helps kids watch games with similar feelings to that of a real live game. Zucker and his wife have raised over $1.2 Million in their #GIVE16 Campaign.
General Manager of the Year
GM of the year goes to Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins. Sweeney has brought the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals this year, and has helped acquire young talents such as Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson.
Lady Byng Trophy
This award goes against the fighting, checking, and aggressiveness of the NHL. It is the award given to the most “Gentlemen-like player,” who is also talented, and this years winner is Aleksander Barkov of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Center had 96 points at the end of the season, a team record, and also committed only four minor penalties the whole season.
Calder Trophy
The Calder Trophy celebrates the Rookie of the Year. This years recipient was Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks. The center finished the season with 66 points, 28 goals and 38 assists. He led rookies in goals, assists, and power-play goal. The other two finalists were breakout Goaltender Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues and Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres.
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