Price, Ovechkin and Tavares named Hart nominees
Canadiens goalie in line for three major awards
Carey Price might have to rent a trailer to haul away the spoils from this year’s National Hockey League Awards gala on June 24 in Las Vegas.
Price is in line for three major awards after the NHL announced Wednesday that he is one of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy, which is presented annually to the player judged most valuable to his team.
The other finalists in the voting conducted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association are Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and John Tavares of the New York Islanders.
It’s rare for a goaltender to win the award. Since it was established in 1924, only six goaltenders have won the Hart Trophy, with Dominik Hasek winning it twice. The last goaltender to win was the Canadiens’ José Theodore in 2002.
There’s no doubt Price is the No. 1 reason the Canadiens finished first in the Atlantic Division. He won a franchise-record 44 games and led the NHL in wins, goals-against average and save percentage.
Price and Chicago’s Corey Crawford will share the Jennings Trophy, which goes to the goaltender on the team that allowed the fewest goals. And Price is one of the finalists for the Vézina Trophy, which goes to the top goaltender in the NHL. The other finalists are the Nashville Predators’ Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild.
Ovechkin is a three-time winner of the Hart Trophy (2008, 2009, 2013). He scored 53 goals to earn the Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer, but it was his improved defensive play under coach Barry Trotz that raised eyebrows this season. He went from a minus-35 last season to a plus-10 rating.
Tavares bounced back from a torn MCL suffered at the Sochi Olympics to lead the Islanders to only their second playoff berth in the past eight seasons. He finished second in the NHL scoring race, one point behind Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars.