Devils’ Hall edges MacKinnon for MVP
LAS VEGAS » New Jersey’s Taylor Hall and the hometown Vegas Golden Knights went home with major honors from the NHL Awards.
Hall won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player Wednesday night in the hockey world’s annual postseason awards show.
The high-scoring Devils forward beat out fellow first-time Hart finalists Nathan MacKinnon of Colorado and Anze Kopitar of Los Angeles. Hall got 72 first-place votes and 1,264 total points in the media voting to edge MacKinnon, who got 60 firstplace votes and 1,194 points.
Hall became the first New Jersey player to win the NHL’s biggest individual honor after he finished sixth in the league with 93 points.
Hall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, likely got the nod over two worthy contenders because of the way he carried the Devils offensively while they reached the playoffs for the first time in five years. He scored 41 more points than rookie Nico Hischier, the Devils’ second-leading scorer.
The Golden Knights also took home four awards from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino after their remarkable inaugural season.
Coach Gerard Gallant won the Jack Adams Award, and George McPhee was named the NHL’s general manager of the year in recognition of the Golden Knights’ immediate growth into champions of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference.
High-scoring Knights forward William Karlsson won the Lady Byng Trophy for the player best combining sportsmanship and ability. Defenseman Deryk Engelland also won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award for his actions during his team’s breakthrough season in the wake of the shooting massacre on the Las Vegas Strip shortly before their first game.
Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman won his first Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, while Islanders center Mathew Barzal won the Calder Trophy in a landslide as the league’s top rookie.
Nashville’s Pekka Rinne won his first Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie, while Kopitar won his second Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward.
Connor McDavid won the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player in a vote of the players’ union membership, but the Edmonton Oilers star was not a finalist for the Hart, which he won last year.
New Jersey veteran Brian Boyle won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey after putting together an All-Star season in the wake of his cancer diagnosis and healthy problems for his young son.
The NHL also welcomed the survivors of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash onto the stage late in the show for an emotional tribute. Darcy Haugan, the late coach of the Broncos, was honored with the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award.
Gallant was an obvious choice over Colorado’s Jared Bednar and Boston’s Bruce Cassidy after he masterminded the most spectacular expansion season in recent sports history. The Golden Knights went 51-24-7 and handily won the Pacific Division before winning 13 postseason games and reaching the Stanley Cup Final in their first playoff campaign.
Engelland was honored for his leadership and contributions to society. The veteran defenseman already was a Las Vegas resident when the Golden Knights acquired him, and he emerged as a public face of the team during its inspirational performances in the wake of the shooting.
“It’s been a remarkable season,” Engelland said. “(We had) a great group of guys. They did a tremendous job putting the group together. For myself, I know there’s a lot of other guys in our locker room that could be here right now in my place. It’s just an honor, and once we look back on the season, it’s pretty special.”
Kopitar was named the NHL’s top defensive forward for the second time in three years after a standout all-around season.