The
National Hockey League (NHL) Awards were held on Tuesday with the league recognising
the best players from the 2020-21 season. Canadian centre Connor McDavid
was adjudged winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s version of the most
valuable player award.
The Edmonton
Oilers captain had another dominant season in the NHL, scoring 33 goals and
leading the assists and points charts with 72 and 105 respectively. He joins compatriot
Wayne Gretzky as the second multiple winner of the award in Oilers history.
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Another
distinction he shares with his compatriot is that they are the only two players
to have been voted as the unanimous winners of the award. McDavid received
first-place votes on all 100 ballots, while Gretzky was voted first in all 63
ballots for his performances in the 1981-82 season.
Here are
some of the other winners from the awards ceremony:
Vezina
Award: Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
Calder
Memorial Trophy: Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
James
Norris Memorial Trophy: Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Ted Lindsay
Award: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
With
McDavid’s incredible season being rewarded at the awards, the only question
remaining for the Oilers is if they can make a deep postseason run this year.
McDavid, 24, also won the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the most outstanding player
as voted by members of the NHL Players’ Association.
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Meanwhile,
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury added another feather to his
decorated cap with this year’s Vezina trophy, which is given to goaltenders “adjudged
to be the best at his position”.
The
Canadian recorded a career-high in save percentage (.928) and goals-against
average (1.98).
24-year-old
Kirill Kapizov became the first-ever Minnesota Wild player to win the Calder
Memorial Trophy, which is like the NHL’s rookie of the year award on the back
of a 27-goal, 24-assist season.
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Adam Fox
was adjudged winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, given to the best
defensive player. The 23-year-old New York Rangers defenseman scored five goals
and had 42 assists this season.