Washington’s Ovechkin earns NHL MVP honors

TORONTO (AP) — Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals earned plenty of consolation prizes in a season that produced a first-round playoff exit.

Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy and The Lester B. Pearson Award Thursday night, honoring his MVP season that produced NHL highs with 65 goals and 112 points.

Ovechkin edged finalists Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins for both honors. The Hart is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, while the Pearson is given out by the NHL Players’ Association.

Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, hired during the season after Washington’s woeful start, earned the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top bench boss. The only damper on the evening in the nation’s capital came when Nicklas Backstrom was edged by Chicago’s Patrick Kane for rookie of the year.

Kane led rookies with 72 points, including 21 goals. He is the first Blackhawks player to win the trophy since goalie Ed Belfour in the 1990-91 season.

Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom completed his second hat trick in Norris Trophy competition when he was named as the league’s top defenseman for the third straight season and sixth overall.

Another familiar winner was New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur, chosen as the NHL’s top goalie for the fourth time in five seasons.

In other awards, Jason Blake of the Toronto Maple Leafs, diagnosed with leukemia just before the start of the regular season, received the Bill Masterton Trophy as the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Pavel Datsyuk of the Red Wings took the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Along with teammate Henrik Zetterberg, also a finalist, Datsyuk helped shut down Crosby and the top line of the Penguins during the finals.