Connor McDavid wins third Hart Trophy after 153-point season
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[June 27, 2023]
After a stunning 153-point regular season, it was only right
that Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid put his name into the
history books on Monday night at the NHL awards ceremony in
Nashville.
McDavid won the Hart Trophy to become the ninth three-time MVP in
NHL history. He also took home the award in 2017 and 2021. Boston
Bruins forward David Pastrnak and Florida Panthers forward Matthew
Tkachuk were the other finalists for this year's honor.
"Thank you to the Oilers organization," McDavid said. "You guys make
it so fun to come to the rink and we've created such a great culture
there in Edmonton. ... To my teammates, my second family, I truly
would not be standing up here if it wasn't for each and every single
one of you guys.
"You guys mean the world to me, and I can't wait to get back to work
with you guys in September. We have unfinished business."
That wasn't the only hardware McDavid took home on Monday, as he
also secured the Ted Lindsay Award for the NHL's Most Outstanding
Player. McDavid is now a four-time winner, with each of those
victories coming over the last seven years. Only Wayne Gretzky, a
five-time winner of the honor formerly known as the Lester B.
Pearson Award, has captured the trophy more than McDavid.
"I want to say thank you to the players around the league. This
award is obviously voted on by you guys," McDavid said. "Been up
here a few times to accept this, and I'm so honored. I really feel
like this is the most prestigious award we give out here."
McDavid, 26, had 64 goals and 89 assists in 82 regular-season games.
He also posted 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) during Edmonton's
playoff run, which ended when the Oilers lost to the eventual
Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, in the second
round.
Vegas defeated the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, putting an end
to what was an incredible postseason showing by Florida. The Eastern
Conference's No. 8 seed, the Panthers rode the momentum of a
first-round defeat of the league-best Bruins all the way to the last
series of the season.
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Although Boston flopped after posting 65 wins and 135 points -- both
NHL records -- during the regular season, the 2022-23 campaign
wasn't a total loss for the Bruins. Linus Ullmark won the Vezina
Trophy as the league's top goaltender, Jim Montgomery earned the
Jack Adams Award as the best coach and forward Patrice Bergeron
picked up the Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward.
Ullmark, 29, beat out the New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin and the
Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck to win the award after going 40-6-1
with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage in 49
games (48 starts).
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Montgomery, 53, was in his first season with
Boston. He was an assistant with the St. Louis Blues from 2020-22
after getting fired during his second season as head coach of the
Dallas Stars (2019-20).
In 195 career regular-season games, Montgomery has led his teams to
a 125-55-15 record. He has also coached 20 postseason games, winning
half of them.
"I view this award as a team award. It's a reflection of the great
Boston Bruins organization," Montgomery said. "The historical season
that we had doesn't happen by chance. There's a commitment daily to
the culture."
In 78 games, the 37-year-old Bergeron finished with 27 goals and 31
assists en route to his sixth Selke Trophy. He has completed 19 NHL
seasons, spending all of them with the Bruins.
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The city of Boston also had another reason to celebrate as Seattle
Kraken forward Matty Beniers, who grew up about 30 minutes south in
nearby Hingham, Mass., captured the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded
to the rookie of the year.
Beniers, 20, went for 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) in 80 games
to help Seattle clinch its first playoff berth in the franchise's
second year.
"The boys, my teammates, I love you guys. You guys were so great,
you taught me so much this year," Beniers said. "Seattle, you guys
were great all year and you guys made playing at Climate Pledge
Arena so fun."
The San Jose Sharks' Erik Karlsson won the James Norris Memorial
Trophy as the top defenseman after tallying 101 points (25 goals, 76
assists) in 82 games. He became the first NHL defenseman to reach
the 100-point plateau since Brian Leetch accomplished the feat in
1991-92.
Other winners included Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar (Lady
Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct), Calgary
Flames forward Mikael Backlund (King Clancy Trophy for humanitarian
work), Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (Masterton Trophy
for perseverance and dedication to hockey) and Tampa Bay Lightning
forward Steven Stamkos (Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award).
--Field Level Media
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