Burns shoots past Karlsson for Norris honours

It was difficult to say what was more upsetting about the NHL Awards on Wednesday: that Erik Karlsson didn’t win the Norris Trophy for the second straight season, or that three of the voters had him fifth on their ballots.

A year ago, the Ottawa Senators captain finished second to Drew Doughty. This year, it was Brent Burns who beat him out for the award. It might be hard to feel sorry for a defencemen who has won the Norris Trophy twice. Yet, with how dominant Karlsson has been in the last two seasons, he should have more awards to his name.

At the same time, the San Jose Sharks’ Burns was a deserving winner. He ranked first among defencemen with 76 points and scored 29 goals. He led the league in shots, with seven more than Alex Ovechkin.

“The way I play the game, that’s the way I have to play to help the team be successful,” said Burns, who had 33 more first-place votes than Karlsson. “I have to create offence and be in the plays and create some of that pressure.”

Karlsson was equally as dominant offensively. He scored 17 goals and had 71 points in 77 games.

He nearly led the Senators to the Stanley Cup final. Of course, the playoffs don’t count for Norris Trophy voting, but Karlsson was the primary reason why Ottawa qualified for the post-season.

It was an emotional night for Bill Masterton Trophy winner Craig Anderson, who temporarily left the Senators in early December after his wife was diagnosed with throat cancer, but returned in February — at his wife’s urging — to lead the team to a playoff spot.

“You knew there was support. You knew that everyone was behind you,” said Anderson, who mentioned a game where Oilers goalie Cam Talbot remained on the ice afterwards and applauded his opponent’s resolve. “What Cam did, he didn’t have to stand there at the end of the game. I have the utmost respect for him for doing that. I think that shows how classy hockey players are.”

Patrice Bergeron tied Bob Gainey with a record fourth Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward. For the Boston Bruins centre, who had 21 goals and 53 points this season, receiving the award on stage from his idol made winning even more special.

“It’s more than the hockey player that I respect. He’s a role model,” Bergeron said of Gainey.