Toews comes up short in top defensive forward list

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews, the top two-way player on the NHL's fifth-best defensive team, is not going to win the Selke Trophy.

Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Vancouver's Ryan Kesler and Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal are the three finalists for the best defensive forward award based on voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

"He probably should have been (a finalist)," teammate Patrick Kane said. "To be honest with you, if he was put in that role all year like he is now where he's playing against the top lines, he probably would have been.

"But maybe that's my fault," Kane joked. "He was playing with me all year and he didn't have to be on the checking line."

Datsyuk is shooting for his third straight Selke Trophy. He led the NHL with 132 takeaways, far ahead of Kesler's second-best total of 83. Datsyuk was plus-17.

Kesler was ninth in the league at winning faceoffs (55 percent) and had 95 hits and 73 blocked shots as a center.

Toews was plus-22 and ranked seventh in faceoffs at 57.3 percent.

"Johnny, I think he's new as far as being considered around the league (for the Selke)," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Watching him play in the Olympics and having an appreciation for him day in and day out, he plays on both sides of the puck, kills penalties and his strength in the faceoff circle is something we appreciate as well.

"I think Johnny will mature as he continues to keep progressing where he'll be considered in that role."

Patrick Sharp is another Hawks player who should have received Selke consideration. He was plus-24 playing all three forward positions with 2 short-handed goals and a career-high 66 points.

"I still give John Madden a hard time about two years ago when I finished fourth in the voting and he snuck in there (playing for the Devils) and finished third," Sharp said. "I told him it was only because he's a veteran with all those New York writers voting for him."