2010 NHL Awards nominees

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NHLPA honors Lindsay with outstanding player award

NHL.com
The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) announced Thursday that the Lester B. Pearson Award is being reintroduced as the Ted Lindsay Award.

The Award honors Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, an All-Star forward known for his skill, tenacity, leadership, and for his role in establishing the original Players' Association. The players' accolade will continue to be presented annually to the "Most Outstanding Player" in the NHL, as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA.

"This is a great honor to have bestowed upon me," Lindsay said. "I took great pride in my hockey career, both on the ice competing towards a championship with my teammates, and off of the ice for the work that we did to ensure our fellow players enjoyed proper rights and benefits. I am very proud and appreciative that the most outstanding player each season, as voted by his peers, will receive the award with my name on it.

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Crosby, Ovechkin, Henrik Sedin vie for Hart

Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals and Henrik Sedin of the Canucks are the 2009-10 finalists for the Hart Trophy. They also were the top three scorers in the NHL this past season.

The Hart Memorial Trophy is presented annually "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team." The winner is selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association in the 30 NHL cities at the end of the regular season.

The winner of the trophy will be announced at the 2010 NHL Awards, to be held in Las Vegas on June 23. The ceremony will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and CBC in Canada.

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Sacco, Tippett, Trotz named Adams finalists

Three first-time nominees are finalists for the 2009-10 Adams Award -- Joe Sacco of Colorado, Dave Tippett of Phoenix and Barry Trotz of Nashville.

The Jack Adams Award is presented annually by the National Hockey League Broadcasters' Association to "the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success." The winner is selected by a poll among members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association at the end of the regular season.

The winner of the trophy will be announced at the 2010 NHL Awards, to be held in Las Vegas on June 23. The ceremony will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and CBC in Canada.

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Brown, Green, Miller are Foundation finalists

Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown, Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green and Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller are the three finalists for the 12th annual NHL Foundation Player Award.

National Hockey League players have a long-standing tradition of supporting charities and other important causes in their communities, and NHL member clubs are constant in their quest to help local schools, hospitals, and charitable organizations. In recognition of this dedication, the NHL Foundation annually awards $25,000 to a current player's charity that embodies the core values of the NHL -- commitment, perseverance and teamwork -- to enrich the lives of people in his community.

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Foster, Ortmeyer, Theodore vie for Masterton

The three finalists for the 2009-10 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy are Kurtis Foster of Tampa Bay, Jed Ortmeyer of San Jose, and Jose Theodore of Washington.

The Masterton Trophy is presented annually to "the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." The winner is selected by a poll among the 30 chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the end of the regular season. A $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner.

The trophy was presented by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, a player with the Minnesota North Stars, who exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, and who died Jan. 15, 1968 following an injury sustained in an NHL game.

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Myers, Duchene, Howard named Calder finalists

The three finalists for the 2009-10 Calder Memorial Trophy for top rookie are Tyler Myers of Buffalo, Matt Duchene of Colorado, and Jimmy Howard of Detroit.

The winner is selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the end of the regular season.

To be eligible for the Calder, a player cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in any major professional league. Also, a player must not have attained his 26th birthday by Sept. 15th of the season in which he is eligible.

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Datsyuk, Richards, St. Louis up for Lady Byng

Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings, Brad Richards of the Dallas Stars and Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning are the finalists for the 2009-10 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

The Lady Byng is presented annually "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

The winner is selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the end of the regular season.

The finalists are no strangers to the Lady Byng. Datsyuk has won each the last four seasons, Richards has been a winner and a runner-up, and St. Louis has placed second in polling each of the last three seasons.

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Datsyuk, Kesler, Staal are Selke finalists

For 2009-10, the Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, the Canucks' Ryan Kesler and the Penguins' Jordan Staal are the finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy that is presented annually "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game." The winner is selected in a poll by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the end of the regular season.

"There are many outstanding wingers and centermen in the NHL who not only perform well offensively, but who also do the unsung, often unrecognized work in hockey -- doing a great defensive job," then NHL President John Ziegler said in 1977 in describing the reasons for the Selke Trophy.

Datsyuk, Kesler and Staal certainly meet the criteria.

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Brodeur, Bryzgalov, Miller are Vezina finalists

In a season in which five goaltenders posted 40 or more wins -- the second time in NHL history this has happened -- six had at least 7 shutouts, and nine posted a goals-against average of 2.40 or lower, narrowing down that list to three finalists for the Vezina was one tough job. But each of the 30 NHL team general managers were up to the task and came up with three very worthy candidates.

The Vezina Trophy is presented annually to "the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position" as voted by the general managers of each of the 30 clubs. It was first awarded in 1926-27 to honor Georges Vezina, goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens who collapsed during an NHL game on Nov. 28, 1925, and died of tuberculosis a few months later.