PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 15, 2007
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, right,, congratulates Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby after he won the Lester B. Pearson award, the outstanding player in the league, at the 2007 NHL awards in Toronto on Thursday June 14, 2007.
TORONTO — "The Kid" became "The Man" in the NHL on Thursday — and the young Penguins were validated at the NHL’s awards show.
Sidney Crosby earned the Hart Trophy, awarded to the player most valuable to his team, and the Lester B. Pearson Award, for the most outstanding player as selected by the players association.
His teammate, Evgeni Malkin, claimed the Calder Trophy as the league’s outstanding rookie.
"It looks like a very bright future," Crosby said. "It’s a statement to how far we’ve come in the past year. … We should all be excited that there are a lot of guys that have made an impact and will continue to make an impact."
Also a winner of the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league with 120 points, Crosby, 19, is the youngest player to acquire the three prestigious honors in the same year.
Crosby bested goaltenders Martin Brodeur of New Jersey and Roberto Luongo of Vancouver for the Hart. He topped Luongo and Tampa Bay center Vincent Lecavalier for the Pearson.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper handed Crosby the Pearson Award to start the show, and NHL legend Gordie Howe presented him with the Hart Trophy at the event’s conclusion.
Crosby is the youngest player to win the Hart Trophy since Wayne Gretzky in 1980. Gretzky won a record nine Hart Trophies.
"Sid might get there," said Lecavalier, winner of the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy for leading the league with 52 goals. "There was a lot of competition, but you always have to come back to Sidney and what he did at 19 — it was pretty amazing."
Crosby was joined at the ceremony by coach Michel Therrien and teammate Jordan Staal.
Therrien failed to become the first Penguins coach to receive the Jack Adams Award when Vancouver’s Alain Vigneault was chosen as the league’s outstanding bench boss. In his first full season with the Penguins, Therrien guided the team to the playoffs behind a 47-point turnaround — the fourth best single-season point improvement in history.
Therrien finished third in the Jack Adams voting. Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff placed second.
Staal was a finalist for the Calder, which Crosby failed to win last year. Staal came up short, too, but his loss was Malkin’s gain.
Malkin, who paced rookies in goals (33), assists (52) and points (85), became the second consecutive highly hyped Russian to win the Calder after Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin earned the nod over Crosby last year.
Malkin did not attend the ceremony. Therrien accepted the award on his behalf. Malkin and Staal were also named to the All-Rookie team. Staal, Crosby and Malkin — all under the age of 21 — were the Penguins’ past three first-round picks, respectively.
"When I look at those kids, I see a little bit of our great teams in Colorado," said Joe Sakic, a Lady Byng Trophy finalist and two-time Stanley Cup champion as captain of the Avalanche. "But maybe they are more like those Edmonton teams that I watched growing up in the (1980s). If Pittsburgh can keep that group together, (it) is going to be great for a long time."
Note: The awards show did not air on Versus during its scheduled time slot (7 to 9 p.m.) due to technical difficulties with the feed on the part of the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
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Voting breakdown
A look at how voting breakdown from Thursday's NHL Awards Show in categories involving the Penguins:
Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team)
Player Team Total First-place votes
Sidney Crosby Penguins 1,225 91
Roberto Luongo Canucks 801 25
Martin Brodeur Devils 763 21
Calder Trophy (most outstanding rookie)
Player Team Total First-place votes
Evgeni Malkin Penguins 1,357 120
Paul Stastny Avalanche 965 16
Jordan Staal Penguins 565 6
Jack Adams Award (outstanding coach)
Coach Team Total First-place votes
Alain Vigneault Canucks 134 18
Lindy Ruff Sabres 126 11
Michel Therrien Penguins 91 11
The Hart and Calder trophies are voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The Jack Adams Award is voted on by members of the NHL Broadcasters Association. Source: NHL.
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