Is Evgeni Malkin more valuable to the Pittsburgh Penguins than Sidney Crosby?
What about Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom on the Red Wings? And how do you choose between Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane with Chicago?
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Ovechkin collected four pieces of silverware last season.
(Getty Images)
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They're all great players having big seasons who have been crucial to their respective teams' success, but it says here that none of them have had as much individual impact as
Alexander Ovechkin on the Washington Capitals. So if the Hart Trophy is supposed to go to the player "adjudged to be the most valuable to his team," the only choice is Ovechkin.
Ovechkin actually made his case last season when he was almost single-handedly responsible for Washington's successful late run to the playoffs and won the award for the first time. This season he has reinforced his value by taking the Capitals to greater heights and making them a legitimate Stanley Cup threat.
Washington has some talent surrounding its superstar, and players like Mike Green and Alexander Semin are having outstanding seasons. Still the Caps were in trouble early because Ovechkin, preoccupied with the illness of his grandfather, started slow. He had only two goals and three assists in the first month, but after a quick visit back to Russia at the end of October, Ovechkin returned focused. The Capitals never looked back and had the Southeast Division locked up by the All Star break.
Ovechkin was and remains their catalyst. He will finish with more goals than anyone again and heading into the final weekend, Ovechkin has put himself in position to steal the overall scoring title away from Malkin, who held double-digit leads at different times during the season. But Ovechkin has more points than anyone in the NHL since November and he has taken Washington along for the ride.
Here are our choices for the other major awards:
Vezina (Top goalie)
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Tim Thomas
(AP)
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Tim Thomas has been a feel-good story since he came back from Europe and got his first NHL shot at age 31. That was three years ago and now he's the league's top goalie, the biggest reason Boston ran away with the East, and set for life thanks to a $20 million contract extension the Bruins gave him last week. Thomas has an unorthodox style in goal, but as his league-best save percentage and goals against numbers prove, he gets the job done. That's what counts.
Runners-up: Cam Ward,
Steve Mason Norris (Top defenseman)
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Mike Green
(AP)
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Thirty-goal forwards are not easy to find in the NHL, and getting that kind of production from a defenseman is almost unheard of. So Washington's Green moves to the head of the blue-line class just because he managed to hit that plateau this season. Green's 31-goal campaign is remarkable in its own right, but more so since he missed 14 games with a shoulder injury. Still his game is actually about more than just offense. He leads the team in ice time so he plays in all situations and he's plus-25.
Runners-up: Zdeno Chara,
Mark Streit Calder (Top rookie)
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Steve Mason
(AP)
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This is a tough choice because Anaheim's
Bobby Ryan has been a scoring machine since his November call up, but the Blue Jackets are in the playoffs for the first time and Mason is the biggest reason why. That could get Mason some votes for the Vezina and MVP awards as well. Mason was in the minors when the season began, but he took over when starter Pascal Leclaire got hurt and never let go. Mason has more shutouts than anyone and is in the top 10 in other key categories.
Runners-up: Ryan,
Drew Doughty Selke (Defensive forward)
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Pavel Datsyuk
(AP)
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You notice the Red Wings' Datsyuk because he puts up so many points, but he is as good as it gets when it comes to shutting opposing forwards down. Watch him with the puck in the final minute of a game some time -- it looks like it is tied to his stick with a string. Datsyuk has plus-minus numbers as impressive as his scoring totals (a league-leading plus-37 through Thursday's games), and he can be as effective without the puck as he is with it.
Runners-up: Mike Richards,
David Krejci Adams (Coach)
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Claude Julien
(Getty Images)
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The offseason changes made by the Bruins didn't excite anyone, but they gave Claude Julien the tools he needed to turn Boston into one of the league's best teams. Julien got everyone to buy in early, and Boston's players have adapted to the system and more important, have stayed on the same page all season. The Bruins had a little slump in March, but have rebounded and head into the playoffs as a team everyone should worry about.
Runners-up: Andy Murray, Joel Quenneville
Lady Byng (Sportsmanship)
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Martin St. Louis
(Getty Images)
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As frustrating as things have been in Tampa Bay this season, former Hart Trophy winner
Martin St. Louis hasn't really taken it out on anyone on the ice. At least not according to the referees, who have assessed him only 12 minutes in penalties so far. Combine that with a 30-goal season (his fifth time reaching that plateau in the past six seasons) and the leadership he shows with a rebuilding team, and St. Louis most certainly deserves this award.
Runners-up: Datsyuk,
Patrick Marleau Masterton (Perseverance)
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Steve Sullivan
(AP)
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Claude Lemieux wanted to come back so badly he agreed to play a few games in Shanghai. That's in China, in case you didn't know, and they actually play hockey there, which Lemieux probably didn't know until the Sharks sent him there. It ultimately earned him another shot at the NHL, which qualifies him for the perseverance part of this award. But Lemieux has played only 17 games and not done much, and the Masterton criteria includes sportsmanship and dedication. Usually it goes to the player with the best comeback year. Give it to
Steve Sullivan of Nashville.
Runners-up: Simon Gagne,
Martin Havlat
