Avalanche star takes home NHL Awards’ top honor — PHOTOS
Everyone, from players to media, felt Nathan MacKinnon was the best player in the NHL this season.
He was rewarded as such.
The Colorado Avalanche center earned his first Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players Association during the NHL Awards at Fontainebleau on Thursday.
MacKinnon received 137 of 194 possible first-place votes for the Hart to beat out runner-up Nikita Kucherov from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid finished third.
“Just every player I grew up idolizing has their name on this thing,” MacKinnon said of the Hart Trophy. “To be a part of that company is surreal. It hasn’t really sunk in.”
MacKinnon was also named MVP by his peers for the first time. He and Kucherov were finalists for both awards. Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews was the third Ted Lindsay finalist after leading the league with 69 goals last season.
MacKinnon won the Hart in his fourth time as a finalist for the award. He became the third Avalanche player to win it, after Hockey Hall of Famers Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg.
“It’s definitely cool to be a part (of this),” MacKinnon said. “I know it’s an individual award, but you do feel you’re kind of connected to these all-time greats. Really cool.”
MacKinnon set a franchise record by scoring 140 points last season, the second-most in the NHL behind Kucherov’s 144.
MacKinnon opened the season with a 35-game home point streak, the second-best mark ever behind Wayne Gretzky’s 40-game streak in 1989.
The 2013 first overall pick and 2022 Stanley Cup champion became the first player in NHL history to have two separate point streaks of at least 19 games last season.
The first people to call him to congratulate him have had their names on the Hart Trophy multiple times.
Nine-time winner Wayne Gretzky rang. So did two-time winner Sidney Crosby, who like MacKinnon hails from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
“That’s always pretty cool to see Wayne Gretzky pop up on your phone,” MacKinnon said. “Seeing his name 100 times on this (trophy), too. It’s cool to have all the support I do.”
MacKinnon took home two of the five awards announced at Thursday’s show, which took place in Las Vegas for the 11th time since 2009.
Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets won the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender for the second time. Hellebuyck earned 31 of the 32 first-place votes for the award voted on by the NHL’s general managers.
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard took home the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year by receiving 152 first-place votes.
Bedard, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, is the 10th Blackhawks player to win the award and first since right wing Artemi Panarin in 2016. He led all rookies with 61 points last season.
“I’m just playing hockey,” Bedard said. “Everyone throughout the lineup made contributions to our team. You don’t play for the individual awards. It’s honestly nice to get them, but the team is what I focus on.”
Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman for the first time after leading all blue liners with 92 points.
Hughes became the fourth U.S.-born player to win the award.
The NHL Awards continued a busy week for the league. The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup on Monday. The NHL draft will take place at The Sphere on Friday and Saturday and free agency begins Monday.
The show Thursday was a strong way for MacKinnon to close the books on an impressive campaign. Now, he can set his sights on chasing another championship.
“Once you get there, you want to win it,” MacKinnon said. “Other times I was nominated, I was never really close. I just wanted to enjoy my week here. I didn’t know it was going to happen. Being a competitive guy, you want to win it any way you can. Really cool thing.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
