KANE MAN OF THE HOUR AT NHL AWARDS
Blackhawks star cops Hart, Art Ross and Lindsay trophies at Vegas show,
LAS VEGAS— Patrick Kane used to settle down in front of the TV with a pen and paper to pick the winners at the NHL Awards.
The Chicago Blackhawks sniper was at the top of the list on Wednesday night.
Kane won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player after also taking home the Ted Lindsay Award, the MVP nod voted on by fellow NHLers.
“It was fun for me to watch,” Kane said of tuning into past award shows. “It was one of the days of the year that you marked on your schedule and made sure you didn’t miss.
“To be here today in Las Vegas receiving these awards is kind of surreal. I don’t know if it’s really hit me yet, but I’m sure it will in the future.”
Kane beat out Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Dallas Stars counterpart Jamie Benn for the Hart, snagging 121 of 150 firstplace votes.
The first American to be named MVP, the 27-year-old also won the Art Ross Trophy as the top scorer in the NHL ahead of Benn and Crosby after a league-best 106-point campaign.
Kane recorded a career-high 46 goals and 60 assists in a year that included a franchise-record 26game point streak — the longest in NHL history by a U.S.-born player — and rounds out a season that started shrouded in controversy on a high note.
Kane was investigated by police following an alleged sexual assault at his home near Buffalo, N.Y., last summer. Prosecutors declined to file charges because of a lack of credible evidence. The NHL also investigated, but determined the sexual assault allegation was unfounded.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings was a double winner, taking home the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward and the Lady Byng Trophy as the league’s most gentlemanly player. Kings teammate Drew Doughty won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman after being nominated two other times, beating out Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson, who won the award last year, and San Jose Sharks blue liner Brent Burns.
“It means a lot to me,” said Doughty. “I’ve been so close twice, but not finishing the deal kind of sucked. It feels great to just win that award after the history of it. It’s really special.”
Kane’s linemate, Artemi Panarin, beat out Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere and Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie, while Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals won his first Jack Adams Award as coach of the year on a third try.
Washington’s Braden Holtby captured his first Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL, beating out Ben Bishop of Tampa Bay and Jonathan Quick of Los Angeles.