Matthews, 24, scored 60 goals, leading the NHL for the second consecutive season. He made a franchise record at Maple Leafs and a season record for most goals scored by an American-born player. He led the NHL to goals of equivalent power (44), goals per game (0.82) and shots (348). He was level in the sixth with 106 points – the highest overall of his career. Matthews won 119 first place votes for the Hart Trophy, which is voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA). Edmonton Oilers’s Conor McDavid came in second with New York Rangers goalkeeper Igor Sesterkin third. Matthews was the first Maple Leafs player to win the NHLPA Most Valuable Player Award, which was voted by the players and first given in 1971. McDavid and Nashville Predators defender Roman Josi were second for Ted Lindsay. Matthews is the second American player to win the award, along with Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane in 2015-16. “Being honored by the players you face every night,” he said, “just means a lot to me.” 2 About The closest vote of the night was for the Norris Trophy, given to the NHL’s best defender by PHWA. Colorado Avalanche defender Cale Makar won his first Norris with 1,631 points in the poll, with 92 votes in first place. Josi was second (1,606) with more votes in first place than Makar (98). The distribution of points on the ballot, which ranks the first five options, is 10-7-5-3-1. Makar was named on 195 ballots, while Josi was named on 194. Tampa Bay Lightning defender Victor Hedman was third for the Norris. “We have some important things to do (Wednesday),” Makar said on the show, quickly turning his attention back to the Stanley Cup final. “But for the boys, that goes out of their way.” Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalkeeper, who is voted by the NHL general managers. The other finalists were Calgary Flames runner-up Jacob Markstrom and Nashville Predators’ Juuse Saros. “It is a great honor for me to be here,” Shesterkin said at the ceremony. “It’s good to play for the New York Rangers, it’s an incredible feeling.” Shesterkin led the NHL with 2.07 goals against average and 0.935 rebounds in 53 games, leading the Rangers to 110 points in regular season, the third highest total in franchise history. He was a first-time nominee for Vezina and joined Henrik Lundqvist and John Vanbiesbrouck as Rangers who won Vezina after the current criteria for the award were set in 1981-82. Some expected it to be a unanimous choice, but Carolina Fredrik Andersen, Tampa Bay goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevsky and New York Islanders Ilya Sorokin also had the upper hand. Detroit Red Wings defender Moritz Seider won the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year, as voted by PHWA. He played in all 82 games for the Red Wings and averaged 23:02 on ice time per game, leading among the rookies. He led all the rookie defenders to points (50), the third highest for championship in the last 30 years. He got all the rookies in assists (43) and power-play points (21). “It’s a really great honor, I was not really prepared for a speech, so I will follow the flow here,” he said. “It’s a great organization with Detroit, it’s a lot of fun to be a Red Wing.” Seider received 170 first-place votes. Trevor Zegras, the forward of the Anaheim Ducks, who has scored many goals with highlight-reels this season, was second with 15 votes for the first place. Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Michael Bunting, who was notable for his 26 years, was third in the poll. Tampa Bay Lightning’s Julien BriseBois, New York Rangers’ Chris Drury and Colorado Avalanche’s Joe Sakic are the three finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year 2021-22 award. The winner will be announced at the NHL Draft next month in Montreal. The NHL Awards were held at the Armature Works in Tampa on the day of the break between Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup final. The league had previously announced several awards during the playoffs: Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings; Jack Adams Award: Daryl Sutter, Calgary Flames; Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens; Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award: Noel Acton Baltimore, Md. Frank J. Selke Trophy for Best Defensive Forward: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; Commemorative Lady Byng trophy for the most gentlemanly player: Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets. King Clancy Memorial Trophy for Community Service: PK Subban, New Jersey Devils.
