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HOCKEY

Swedes Sedin, Lidström scoop up NHL awards

Swedish hockey star Daniel Sedin was among the big winners at the National Hockey League's annual awards show on Wednesday, with fellow Swede Nicklas Lidström also taking another step toward making history.

Swedes Sedin, Lidström scoop up NHL awards

Sedin, whose Vancouver Canucks recently lost to the Boston Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, took home the Art Ross Trophy for finishing the season as the league’s highest scorer, notching 104 points – including 41 goals.

Daniel’s twin brother Henrik came in second in the league’s scoring table, finishing with 99 points, including 75 assists.

And while Daniel failed to succeed his brother as the NHL’s most valuable player this year, he did nevertheless receive recognition for his exceptional season by being awarded the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the league’s most outstanding player as judged by fellow NHL players.

Veteran Swedish defenceman Nicklas Lidström of the Detroit Red Wings also returned to the awards platform by winning his seventh Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman.

Lidström beat out Nashville’s Shea Weber of Canada and Boston’s Zdeno Chara of Slovakia.

Lidström, who needs one more Norris to tie Bobby Orr with eight, won the award for the first time since 2008.

“The older you get, the more you appreciate the value of prizes like this. You’re more aware of how much work it requires,” he told the Expressen newspaper after receiving the award.

Canadian forward Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks beat out Daniel Sedin for the Hart Trophy for being MVP after scoring a league-high 50 goals this season, including 19 goals in his final 16 games.

Perry had already won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer.

Canada’s Martin St. Louis, who finished with 68 assists this season and was also an MVP candidate, earned a consolation prize as he was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play.

American Tim Thomas added his second Vezina Trophy to go with the Stanley Cup ring he earned earlier this month with the Boston Bruins.

Thomas set an NHL record for save percentage when he finished at .938, surpassing Dominik Hasek’s .937. Thomas also had a league-leading 2.00 goals-against average.

Thomas beat out Vancouver Canucks goalie Robert Luongo, who was the losing goalie in the Stanley Cup final. It was a double blow for Luongo, who found himself being outplayed by Thomas on a nightly basis during the NHL championship which Boston won in seven games.

Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins earned the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, and Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks won the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward.

Jeff Skinner, the 19-year-old rising star of the Carolina Hurricanes, won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Hardnosed veteran forward Ian Laperriere won the Masterton Memorial Trophy for dedication and perseverance after coming back from a horrible injury in last year’s playoffs where he was hit in the face with a slapshot.

“It has been a really, really tough year,” Lapperriere said.

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NHL

It’s official: Sweden’s Lundqvist is the NHL’s best goalie

Sweden's Henrik Lundqvist made 12 straight saves to win the goaltender competition at the NHL all-star game's skill night.

It's official: Sweden's Lundqvist is the NHL's best goalie
Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers celebrates winning the Ticketmaster NHL Save Streak during the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills contest on Friday in San Jose, California. Photo: Thearon W. Hender
The New York Rangers goalie knocked off Russian Olympian Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who held the lead through several rounds after stopping the first eight shots he faced. 
 
The skill contests held on Friday night in San Jose, California also saw Edmonton Oilers speedster Connor McDavid win his third straight fastest skater title in a competition that included a female participant for the first time.
 
Canada's McDavid charged around the rink in just 13.37 seconds to eclipse Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel, who finished in 13.58 seconds at the SAP Center arena.
 
Kendall Coyne, who plays on the American women's national team, was invited to take part and finished seventh out of eight skaters, beating out Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller. Coyne cruised to a time of 14.34 seconds while Keller, who has 11 goals and 35 points with the Coyotes this season, finished in 14.52. 
 
“I thought she was unbelievable,” McDavid said. “She was absolutely flying out there.” 
 
Last year, Coyne's teammate Hilary Knight did the accuracy shooting drill, but her impressive time wasn't included in the official results.
 
Johnny Gaudreau defended his title in the puck control contest with a time of 27.045, and John Carlson, who captured a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals last season, won the hardest shot contest with a blast of 102.8 mph.
 
The NHL all-star game will take place on Sunday.