Crosby youngest MVP since Gretzky
June 14, 2007
TORONTO (AP) -Sidney Crosby skated away with the Hart Trophy on Thursday night, becoming the NHL's youngest MVP since Wayne Gretzky.
The vote wasn't even close. The 19-year-old Pittsburgh superstar - who received his trophy from six-time Hart winner Gordie Howe - got 91 first-place votes and 1,225 points in a poll of Professional Hockey Writers' Association members.
Gretzky won his first Hart with Edmonton in 1980, and followed it with seven more in a row at the start of an unparalleled 20-year career during which he won the Hart a record nine times.
Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo was second with 25 first-place votes and 801 points. New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur was third with 21 first-place votes and 763 points, though he got to take home the Vezina Trophy for top goalie.
Crosby led the NHL with 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists) this season, earning him the Ross Trophy. Earlier in the evening, he won the Pearson Award, an MVP prize voted on by the players' union.
Vincent Lecavalier's 52 regular-season goals entitled him to collect the Maurice Richard Trophy.
The ceremony was supposed to be shown live in the United States on cable channel Versus, but a technical glitch prevented the station from showing the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's live feed. Versus planned to air it later Thursday night.
A trophy Crosby missed out on last year, the Calder for top rookie, went to teammate Evgeni Malkin. The 20-year-old Russian beat out fellow Penguin Jordan Staal and Colorado's Paul Stastny.
In other awards, Nicklas Lidstrom of Detroit won his fifth Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, becoming the first five-time winner since Ray Bourque, the Boston star who won a Stanley Cup with Colorado before retiring.
Rob Brind'Amour of Carolina won a second consecutive Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward, edging Samuel Pahlsson of the Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey's Jay Pandolfo.
The 36-year-old Brind'Amour is the first back-to-back Selke winner since Jere Lehtinen of Dallas in 1998-99.
Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship a second year in a row and Montreal's Saku Koivu won the King Clancy for humanitarian contributions.
Vancouver's Alain Vigneault won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year.
NHL Awards Winners
June 14, 2007
Winners of the 2006-2007 NHL awards, presented Thursday night at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto. Voting is by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, except the Vezina which is awarded by NHL general managers, and the Adams which is determined by a poll of NHL Broadcasters' Association members.
Hart Memorial Trophy, MVP - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh.
Vezina Trophy, goaltender - Martin Brodeur, New Jersey.
James Norris Memorial Trophy, defenseman - Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit.
Calder Memorial Trophy, rookie - Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh.
Frank J. Selke Trophy, defensive forward - Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, most gentlemanly - Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit.
Jack Adams Award, coach - Alain Vigneault, Vancouver.
King Clancy Trophy, humanitarian contribution to hockey - Saku Koivu, Montreal.
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, perserverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey - Phil Kessel, Boston.
Art Ross Trophy, points scoring leader - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh.
Maurice Richard Trophy, goal-scoring leader - Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay.
William M. Jennings Trophy, goalies with fewest goals against, minimum 25 games - Nicklas Backstrom and Manny Fernandez, Minnesota.
Lester B. Pearson Award, outstanding player - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh.