Capital's Ovechkin named MVP
TORONTO -- You can call Alex Ovechkin NHL MVP. What the Washington Capitals young star really wants is to be known as Stanley Cup champion.
Ovechkin capped off a special season Thursday night by capturing the NHL's two most prestigious individual awards. He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players' choice for the most outstanding player.
"I think I'm the happiest 22-year-old guy on the planet," Ovechkin said.
The trophy haul already included the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer (65) and the Art Ross Trophy as the top point-getter (112).
All that is missing for the 22-year-old Ovechkin is the Stanley Cup.
"Next year I think we will be much better, and I can't wait to see it start," he said. "We love what we're doing. We never give up, we believe in each other, we believe in the coach, we believe in everybody.
"Only when you believe do you win the Stanley Cup."
Ovechkin was the first player to score 60 goals since Mario Lemieux in 1996. He joined Sergei Fedorov (1994) as the only Russian-born players to win the Hart and the Pearson.
Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, hired during the season after Washington's woeful start, earned the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top bench boss.
Boudreau, who led the Capitals to the Southeast Division title, beat Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens.
The 53-year-old Boudreau took over a team that was last in the Eastern Conference and led them to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The Capitals let Glen Hanlon go after the team got off to its slowest start in 26 years and hired Boudreau on an interim basis.
Washington went 37-17-7 after Boudreau was hired on Nov. 22.
"A year ago I would have never believed this," he said.
Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins were the other finalists for both the Hart and Pearson. But the night, and the year, belonged to Ovechkin.
"Sixty-five goals, leading scorer in the league, and their team made the playoffs," Iginla said. "They turned it around pretty amazingly and everyone knows what a huge part of that he was.
"He's very deserving. It was fun to watch him, too."
It was a very familiar night for Nicklas Lidstrom. The captain of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings captured his sixth Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, moving him two behind Bobby Orr's eight and one behind Doug Harvey's seven.
"I never take this for granted," Lidstrom said, "but it really feels special coming here after winning the Cup."
Lidstrom, 38, led defensemen in scoring with 70 points (10-60) in 76 games and led his position with a plus-40 rating. He beat Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames for the award.
Another Wings great was also honored as Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, was given the inaugural lifetime achievement award by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
"The game is in great hands, not good hands, but great hands," Howe said.
The Wings joined the Capitals in owning the ceremony. Detroit star Pavel Datsyuk won the Lady Byng Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player and the Selke Trophy as top defensive forward. He's the first player in 73 years to win the Lady Byng three seasons in a row but said the Selke meant more, testimony to his two-way game.
Martin Brodeur refuses to give up the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender. The New Jersey Devils stalwart won the award for the fourth time in five seasons, edging Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.