The NHL drew the curtain on its 2011-12 season by handing out hardware at the 2012 NHL Awards ceremony on Wednesday night, and between bad jokes, celebrity appearances and a performance by Nickelback, the event was a pretty good watch.
NHL Awards 2012: Evgeni Malkin Takes Hart, Henrik Lundqvist Wins Vezina
The 2012 NHL Awards ceremony was held Wednesday night, and with no host, a slew of celebrities helped both celebrate and close the curtain on the 2011-12 season.
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A rundown of the evening’s top awards:
- Hart Trophy (league MVP): Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the unanimous favorite, brought home the most prestigious trophy of the night, besting fellow finalists Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Vezina Trophy (best goaltender): Lundqvist won honors as the league's top stopper this season, outshining Jonathan Quick of the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators netminder Pekka Rinne.
- Selke Trophy (best defensive forward): The Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron, arguably the game's best two-way player, beat out three-time Selke winner Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues' David Backes.
- Norris Trophy (best defenseman): Erik Karlsson, fresh off signing a seven-year contract extension with the Ottawa Senators, earned recognition as the league's top blueliner this season, beating out Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.
- Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship): Florida Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell graciously accepted the Byng, with deepest sympathies for the Edmonton Oilers' Jordan Eberle and the New York Islanders' Matt Moulson.
For the full list of the winners from the 2012 NHL Awards ceremony, head over to NHL.com.
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