McDavid Cleans Up At NHL Awards, Ullmark Claims Vezina

The NHL Awards were in Nashville for the first time and the event didn’t disappoint. It marks the first time since Vancouver hosted in 2006 that the awards and draft are being hosted in the same city.

Thirteen awards were handed out on Monday and here’s who took home some hardware:

Ted Lindsay Award

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid took home his fourth Ted Lindsay Award in eight seasons. He scored 153 points this season, carving up the competition on the ice.

The Ted Lindsay Award is presented annually to the “most outstanding player” in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) and Erik Karlsson (San Jose Sharks) were the other two finalists behind McDavid.

The Oilers captain is the third player to win the  award at least four times, joining NHL legends Wayne Gretzky (five times) and Mario Lemieux (four times). McDavid and Gretzky (five) are the only ones to claim the honor four times before turning 27.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar won his second Lady Byng trophy seven years after winning his first.

The award is given to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. 

Kopitar’s gap between winning the award is tied with Alex Delvecchio and Red Kelly for the second longest gap in NHL history, behind an 11-year interval by Gretzky.

He’s the only active player with multiple Lady Byng Trophy wins (also won in 2015-16). He also is the second player in NHL history with multiple wins of both the Lady Byng and Selke Trophy, joining Pavel Datsyuk.

Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award 

After a brief bubble hockey break matchup between Dierks and his son Knox, the hall of hame forward Mark Messier came out to announce the next award.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was the recipient of the trophy, which is presented to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.

E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence

Soon-to-be NHLer and projected No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard was given the award before officially joining an NHL franchise.

The E.J. McGuire award is given to the NHL Draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.

Calder Memorial Trophy

Seattle Kraken rookie Matty Beniers won the Rookie of the Year award after scoring 57 points in 80 games. He helped the Kraken to a second-round playoff appearance in their first-ever trip to the postseason.

Prior to joining the Kraken, Beniers played with the University of Michigan where he scored 67 points in 61 collegiate games.

Frank J. Selke Trophy 

For the sixth time in his NHL career, Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron took home the award given to the best defensive forward of the year.

The Bruins captain, who’s a pending free-agent, ended his 19th year in the NHL on a high note. He scored 58 points in 78 games en route to guiding the Bruins to a record-setting regular season.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy 

For the first time since 1993, a Pittsburgh Penguins skater won the Masterton Trophy. Defenseman Kris Letang won the award after suffering his second stroke and mourning the loss of his father — all events taking place in a four-week window during the regular season.

Letang was a Masterton finalist for the second time, finishing as a runner-up to Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk in 2014-15. He Fielded questions with his son Alex.

Vezina Trophy 

After a 40-6-1 record with the Boston Bruins, Linus Ullmark won his first career Vezina as the league’s best goaltender.

He recieived 22 first-place votes and finished with 127 points. Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros finished in fourth place behind New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck.

Ullmark finished the regular season with 42.2 goals-saved above expected, while Saros led the NHL with 46.7 GSAE.

King Clancy Memorial Trophy 

The officers from the Coveant School shooting in Nashville presented the award to Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund. Each NHL team nominated a player; the other two finalists were Islanders forward Anders Lee and Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.

The King Clancy is presented to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.

Wille O’Ree Community Hero Award U.S. 

Jason McCrimmon was the recipient of the 2023 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, given to the individual who – through the sport of hockey – has positively impacted their community, culture or society in the United States.

He’s the president and founder of Detroit Ice Dreams Youth Hockey Association, a nonprofit youth hockey organization that minimizes the barriers that prevent underrepresented communities from access to ice hockey.

Jack Adams Award 

As presented by Predators incoming general manger Barry Trotz, the NHL Coach of the Year award was given to Jim Montgomery of the Bruins.

Montgomery was a near-unanimous choice, attracting the first-place vote on 79 of the 82 ballots and the second-place selection on the three other ballots for 404 voting points. Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils, who was named on 53 ballots and accumulated 127 points, finished second in the voting, followed by Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken (73 points).

James Norris Memorial Trophy