After a 50-year hiatus, the Professional Hockey Writers Association has resurrected the midseason awards in time for the 2017-18 NHL All-Star game this weekend in Tampa Bay. More than 150 writers and broadcasters, and 2,000 fans completed ballots in 10 categories, including Hart Trophy, Norris Trophy, Calder Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy, Selke Trophy, Jack Adams Award and GM of the Year.
Two new awards were also added including the Rod Langway Award, for best ‘defensive defenseman,’ and Comeback Player of the Year, awarded to a player who has returned to a previous high level of performance that was interrupted by subpar play, long-term injury or major illness.
“We are all thrilled to see the Midseason Awards make their return to the hockey calendar,” PHWA president Mark Spector said. “It's a very useful exercise for those PHWA members who vote on end-of-season NHL Awards in April, and judging by the response of the hundreds of hockey fans who cast their votes, including our readers in this process will ensure that this project only grows from here.”
After voting was complete, the Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron finished first for the Selke Trophy. He's won the annual award four times during his career. Rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy finished third in Calder Trophy voting, while captain Zdeno Chara finished second for the Rod Langway Award.
Here are the results from the midseason awards.
Hart Trophy
1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. John Tavares, New York Islanders
Norris Trophy
1. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
3. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
Selke Trophy
1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
2. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
3. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Calder Trophy
1. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
2. Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks
3. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Lady Byng Trophy
1. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, Buffalo Sabres
Vezina Trophy
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
3. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
Jack Adams Award
1. Gerard Gallant, Vegas Golden Knights
2. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Paul Maurice, Winnipeg Jets
GM of the Year Award
1. George McPhee, Vegas Golden Knights
2. Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Ray Shero, New Jersey Devils
Rod Langway Award
1. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
2. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Comeback Player of the Year Award
1. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Brian Boyle, New Jersey Devils
3. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers