Malkin proves best in NHL

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Published time: June 21, 2012 09:31
Edited time: June 21, 2012 18:25

Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeny Malkin poses with the Ted Lindsay Award, the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Trophy during the 2012 NHL Awards show at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort in Las Vegas (Reuters / Steve Marcus)

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Datsyuk, Hockey, Malkin, NHL

Yet more accolades have been showering on Russian ice hockey star Evgeny Malkin as the Pittsburg Penguins forward has been named the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

The 2009 Stanley Cup champion, who posted 50 goals and 59 assists during the NHL regular season, stole the show in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

“It's the best day of my life,” Malkin said. “It's very exciting.”

The 25-year-old gathered the Hart, Ross and Lindsay awards next to him after the ceremony.

“I can't believe I'm sitting here, and around me there are three trophies,” Malkin said. “It's an unbelievable day for me.”

The Russian won the Hart Trophy over Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who still won the Vezina Trophy for the first time.

Malkin was also named the Most Valuable player at last month's Ice Hockey World Championships after guiding Russia to their third crown in five years.

Another Russian 2012 World Champion, Pavel Datsyuk of Detroit, fell short of winning yet another Frank J. Selke Trophy for his collection, losing to Patrice Bergeron of Boston. The award is given annually to the NHL forward, who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.

Comments (1)

Donald (unregistered) 21.06.2012 20:33

As far back as the 2008/09 season I was saying that Malkin is the best player in the world at a time when most were saying that it was either Ovechkin or Crosby. He`s got all the physical attributes that you need; size, speed, skill, and strength, but a lot of players have had this over the years. What really sets Malkin apart and makes him a special player is his vision on the ice. He sees everything out there, often before it even happens, almost like Gretzky or Lemieux. With his second Art Ross, he becomes only the fourth player in the last 30 years to win it more than once. The other three? Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemiex, and Jaromir Jagr. I`d say that`s pretty good company to be in.

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