Carey Price may have wished the NHL Awards Show was held in his backyard. His amount of check-in bags at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas will reach epic proportions.
The Montreal Canadiens goaltender travels home with four major NHL awards, after a season that saw him boast 44 wins, 1.96 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage — all tops in the NHL. This is the first time one netminder has led in all three categories since 1990-91 (Ed Belfour; 43 wins, 2.47 GAA, .910 save percentage). Here is his list of honors, listed in order of which he received them:
William M. Jennings Trophy (fewest regular season goals against)*
Ted Lindsay Award (MVP voted by NHL Players Association)
Vezina Trophy (best goaltender)
Hart Trophy (MVP voted by Professional Hockey Writers Association)
*shared with Chicago’s Corey Crawford
Price is the first goaltender since 2002 to earn the Hart Trophy (ironically, the last was Jose Theodore of the Canadiens). This also marks just the seventh time in the Trophy’s 91-year history that a goaltender captured the honor.
The vote for Price was almost as close to unanimous as they come. From NHL.com:
Price was a runaway winner, receiving 139 first-place votes from the 157 ballots cast for 1,498 points. Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, named on 150 ballots including eight first-place tallies, finished second in voting with 888 points, followed by New York Islanders center John Tavares (739).
His season was a delicacy among under-cooked meat, in a comparative sense. Their were good goalies, great goalies, then Carey Price. It wasn’t a matter of if Price would win, it was a matter of how many he would win.
Despite his league dominance, Price could not be awarded every trophy available — even Tom Hanks doesn’t win Best Supporting Actress. Here’s a list of the other winners from Wednesday’s star-studded event:
Bill Masterton Trophy (dedication and perseverance): Devan Dubnyk, Goalie, Minnesota Wild
Calder Trophy (rookie of the year): Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward): Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
GM of the Year: Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning
James Norris Trophy (best defenseman): Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
Jack Adams Award (best head coach): Bob Hartley, Calgary Flames
King Clancy Award (leadership and humanitarian contributions): Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship): Jiri Hudler, Calgary Flames
Mark Messier Leadership Award: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Foundation Award (commitment, perseverance and teamwork): Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
Check out more about the awards, as well as a few rule changes and other important notes, in today’s headlines:
More to read on Price’s achievements. [Deadspin]
If you missed Hudler’s speech, this is a must see. [Puck Daddy]
Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will share the NHL 16 cover. [For The Win]
Randy Carlyle received a vote for the Jack Adams Awards. [Pension Plan Puppets]
The NHL and NHLPA agreed on a 3-on-3 overtime rule change. [TSN.ca]
Gary Bettman also discussed league expansion. [The Score]
Las Vegas is expected to be the No. 1 buyer for an expansion club. [Los Angeles Times]
Toronto will be vying for a second NHL team. [Pro Hockey Talk]
The NHL announced home openers for all clubs in 2015-16. [CBS Sports]
Reportedly, the Ducks are officially finished with Matt Beleskey. [The Hockey News]
Rule changes personify a rapidly changing NHL. [Today’s Slapshot]
