Hellebuyck, Draisaitl, Kucherov finalists for Hart Trophy as NHL MVP
SUNRISE, Fla. — Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck, Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov are the finalists for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the winner of which will be announced later Thursday before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Hellebuyck is expected to win his second consecutive and third career Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. He backstopped the Jets to the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season and the William Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed before losing in the second round of the playoffs to Dallas.
Only five goalies have taken home the Hart and Vezina in the same year and not since Carey Price a decade ago. Jose Theodore also did so in 2002, Dominik Hasek in 1997 and '98 and Jacques Plante in '62.
Kucherov, the Art Ross Trophy winner for leading all scorers with 122 points this season, was also chosen for the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player, as voted on by his peers. The Russian winger was MVP in 2019 when the Lightning finished atop the standings.
Draisaitl, the Rocket Richard Trophy recipient for scoring a league-high 52 goals, won the Hart in 2020 after the season was cut short by the pandemic. He became the first German player to be MVP.
Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar won the Lady Byng for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct for a third time.
A majority of the awards were for the first time given out as surprises with no advanced notice. Colorado's Cale Makar got the Norris as the top defenseman, Florida's Aleksander Barkov the Selke as the best defensive forward and Washington's Spencer Carbery the Jack Adams as coach of the year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen Reveals Biggest Life Accomplishment
Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen Reveals Biggest Life Accomplishment originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has been on an absolute roll as of late - on and off the field. The 29-year-old gunslinger is coming off a historic 2024 season - one in which he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player. Allen threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 63.6 percent of his passes and only being intercepted six times. On the ground, Allen ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns. Allen also recorded a receiving touchdown - despite not registering a reception, thanks to a lateral player between him and Amari Cooper. Advertisement Thanks to his exploits on the field, Allen was rewarded a six-year, $330 million contract extension, with a record $250 million guaranteed. Even more recently, Allen married actress Hailee Steinfeld. The pair began dating in May 2023, and Allen proposed in November 2024. Allen has accompanied Steinfeld on red carpets and Hollywood events, most recently due to Seinfeld's standout performance in Ryan Coogler's genre-defying hit "Sinners", which has grossed over $350 million at the box office and is an early favorite for Best Picture. Heading into his eighth NFL season, Allen had plenty to talk about with reporters on Tuesday as the Bills began their minicamp at ADPRO Sports Training Center. While there was buzz all offseason about Allen beating out Baltimore Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson for MVP and his record-breaking contract, Allen said his wedding was not only the biggest milestone of his offseason, but his life. Advertisement 'They've all been big, none other than marrying my best friend, and she makes everything easier,' Allen told reporters. 'So, I don't really focus on the other stuff. That was the most important decision I'll make in my life and I made the right one.' Following the couple's engagement announcement in November, Steinfeld was immediately welcomed by the people of Buffalo after a billboard was erected downtown with the caption: 'The Queen city has a new queen. Congratulations, Josh and Hailee.' As supportive as Allen has been of Steinfeld's career, Steinfeld has given that same support to Allen. 'Hailee loves supporting Josh's career and admires his work ethic,' a source told Us Weekly. 'She absolutely loves going to the games and cheering him on. It's fun for her to bring her family and be with Josh's and they make it a huge family outing. Their families have bonded a lot, especially during the season.' Advertisement Related: Shaq Thompson Reveals Major Factor In Bills Decision Related: Bills' Keon Coleman Speaks On 'Perfecting Craft' This Offseason This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How social media reacted to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce taking in Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup final
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce had a date night that made headlines this week. The couple was spotted attending Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers against the Florida Panthers, in Florida. This isn't the first time the pair have attended a sporting event together. In October, the musical artist and NFL player were seen together at Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium. The dynamic duo also attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament in September. Social media was quick to react to the duo being at the hockey game together. The official NHL X account posted multiple times about the couple's attendance of the game, using deep-cut Swiftie references. The Panthers' official account even used a Swift lyric reference to remark on the team's 5-4 overtime loss to the Oilers. But not all hockey fans were thrilled by the amount of times the camera panned to the chatty Swift and Kelce throughout the game, sometimes even during pivotal game-time moments. Despite some of the backlash, Swift was captured taking selfies with fans, some even wearing her merch at the game. Swift recently had a big win herself — she bought back control of all her master recordings and now owns her entire music catalogue, music videos, concert films and her entire life's work. Shortly after, Kelce gave her a shoutout for the accomplishment on his podcast 'New Heights.' 'Shout out to Tay Tay,' Kelce said, per E! News. 'Just bought all of her music back so it's finally hers.'
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former QB Gives High Praise To Bills' Josh Allen
Former QB Gives High Praise To Bills' Josh Allen originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms has always turned heads with his quarterback takes. The latest one may shock fans across the league. And this one centers around Buffalo Bills signal-caller Josh Allen. Advertisement The reigning league MVP is coming off his best season, leading Buffalo to the AFC title game. And so ... Simms has Allen in the "Tier 1" ranking, including Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow. That wasn't the shocking part. If you look at most quarterback rankings, those are the top four that are consistently used at this point. No, the stunner here is Simms made it clear on his podcast that in his mind, the current top tier of quarterbacks compares to the greatness of signal-callers from the 1980s and 90s. "This is like [John] Elway, [Dan] Marino, [Joe] Montana, Jim Kelly in their prime," said Simms on his June 10 podcast. "I don't know if you can find four [QBs] at the same time that are playing at such a high level as the four right now." Advertisement Comparing Marino, Kelly, Montana, and Elway to the current four stars in the league is stunning. Of the original top four? The group won six Super Bowls while going to 14 of those Big Games. The current group has three titles (all from Mahomes) and multiple MVP trophies. That's fine, but ... Those trophies are no different from the success that the top four quarterbacks in the NFL enjoyed during the 2000s (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger). Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, no one denies that. But to rank this collection of signal-callers among the greatest in league history, one of these players outside of Mahomes has to actually win a Super Bowl. Advertisement And we bet Josh Allen agrees with that. Related: Bills' Brandon Beane Tight-Lipped On James Cook Contract Status Related: Bills' Josh Allen Reveals Biggest Life Accomplishment This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
