NHL Awards 2012: Henrik Lundqvist Leads The Way For Rangers

After a season that saw them finish with 109 points, the most since they won the Stanley Cup in 1994, the New York Rangers were well-represented in terms of nominees for awards at the NHL Awards show in Las Vegas on Wednesday. However, only Henrik Lundqvist walked away with hardware, winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender.

At 30 years old and after being nominated three times in his career for the award, King Henrik finally won the award, which is voted on by the NHL's 30 general managers. Lundqvist beat out the Kings' Jonathan Quick and the Predators' Pekka Rinne. Quick seemed like the only legitimate competitor, but Lundqvist's 1.97 goals-against average (1.95 for Quick), .930 save percentage (.929 for Quick) and 39-18-5 record (35-21-13 for Quick) helped him earn 120 points (17 of 30 first-place votes) compared to 63 for Quick and 42 for Rinne.

Lundqvist was a finalist in 2006-08, but he's always been the backbone of the Rangers' success. With a little more rest, he took his game to another level this season and was the reason why the Rangers were the Eastern Conference's best team. A young team, with an inexperienced defensive core still gaining their footing in the NHL meant Lundqvist was called on often to be the calming force and keep his team in the game. He did that throughout the season and was a joy to watch, just like he's been throughout his career. King Henrik also notched eight shutouts.

Lundqvist was also up for the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, but he really had very little chance to win it with the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin in the running. With Sidney Crosby in the lineup or not, Malkin was a beast on the ice this season, scoring a career-high 50 times and tallying 109 points, far and away the best mark in the NHL (by 12 points). There are only a few players with the size, strength and skill to take over a game, and Malkin is that type of athlete.

Coach John Tortorella was another Ranger nominated for an award, as he was included in the finalists for the Jack Adams Award as the best coach during the regular season. Tortorella finished second to the Blues' Ken Hitchcock, who took over the team after a 6-7-0 and steered them to a 45-15-11 record with him behind the bench. Both squads finished with 109 points, the Rangers improving from 93 the year prior and the Blues from 87. Yet it was Hitchcock who finished with an overwhelming 63 first-place votes to five for Tortorella, which seems like too big of a gap to me. Even after adding Richards, the Rangers were considered a bottom-of-the-conference playoff team in the preseason. They never scored a ton, but Tortorella has molded his young group very impressively and they played very consistently all year. As the year went on, there became more doubters instead of believers, yet Tortorella was able to get maximum effort and value out of his guys. That's the sign of an excellent coach. Hitchcock did a splendid job in St. Louis, I just don't think the difference between the two was that steep.

Ryan Callahan finished fourth in the Selke voting, which goes to the most skilled defensive forward. Patrice Bergeron was the winner. Callahan didn't earn enough respect for his efforts on defense. He's not the type to pick pocket a lot of puck handlers or play a finesse style of defense, instead using his physicality and sheer will in giving up his body as his defensive style. Bergeron is the rightful winner, but the Rangers' captain is now on the map and could see a rise in the final "standings" next season.

Carl Hagelin finished fifth in the Calder Trophy race, which goes to the best rookie and was awarded to the Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog, who had 52 points and already has an NHL-ready defensive game. Hagelin's nod was nice to see; he finished sixth in points among rookies with 38, though he slowed as the year went on. His value is also seen a lot more through his speed and forechecking ability as well.

The Norris Trophy, awarded to the best all-around defenseman, went to the Senators' Erik Karlsson. Karlsson had an absurd 78 points as a 22-year-old, and that certainly weighed tilted the scale in his favor, even if he's not yet as good defensively as the Predators' Shea Weber. It was nice to see Dan Girardi (sixth), Ryan Mcdonagh (11th) and Michael Del Zotto (12th) get some recognition. One of them surely could vault into at least the top ten next season.

NHL Awards 2012: Evgeni Malkin Wins Hart Trophy

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin looked like an odds on favorite to win the season's Hart Trophy, recognizing the NHL's most valuable player. And he claimed the prize on Wednesday night at the 2012 NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

Malkin scored 109 points for the Penguins this season. He was the only player in the league to finish the year with more than 100 points. He was one of two players to score at least 50 goals this season. As impressive as his point totals were, Malkin's biggest accomplishment was carrying the Penguins while Sidney Crosby was on the shelf with dealing with an injury.

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist will have to settle for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie. The Blueshirts' netminder was a runner up for the Hart Trophy, along with Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos was the only player in the NHL with more goals, 60, than Malkin.

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2012 NHL Awards: Henrik Lundqvist Wins Vezina Award As Hockey's Top Goalie

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist ended his stint as a bridesmaid as the NHL's top netminder. Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy at the 2012 NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

The Rangers goalie was a crucial part of his team's run to the Eastern Conference Finals this season. He finished the regular season with a 39-18 record, a 1.97 goals against average and a .930 save percentage for the Blueshirts. In 20 postseason games, Lundqvist was 10-10 with a 1.82 GAA and a .931 save percentage.

The runners up for this year's Vezina Trophy were Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick from the Los Angeles Kings. The award is selected by a vote of all 30 NHL general managers.

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NHL Awards 2012: Brian Campbell Wins The Lady Byng Trophy Over Matt Moulson

Florida Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell took home the Lady Byng Trophy at the 2012 NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas. He edged out New York Islanders forward Matt Moulson and Edmonton Oilers forward Jordan Eberle. The Lady Byng Trophy is awarded to the player in honor of their sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct alongside their playing ability.

Campbell accumulated just seven penalty minutes all season. He played in all 82 games, and was the Oilers' top defenseman, logging the kind of minutes that go with the role. It was the second season in a row that Campbell had fewer than 10 penalty minutes.

Moulson averaged more than 19 minutes of ice time per game this year, while playing all all 82. He had only six penalty minutes.

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NHL Awards 2012: Gabriel Landeskog Tops Adam Henrique For Calder Trophy

Colorado Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog topped Adam Henrique of the New Jersey Devils in the voting for the 2012 Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL's top rookie. Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was also a runner-up for professional hockey's rookie of the year award.

Landeskog, the second player selected in the 2011 NHL Draft, had 52 points last season, tied with Nugent-Hopkins for the lead among all first-year players. Landeskog had 22 goals and 30 assists last season. He is the first Avalanche player to win the award since Chris Drury took home the Calder Trophy in 1999.

Henrique finished the season with 51 points, including 16 goals. His point total was the fourth-best mark on a Devils team that made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Henrique averaged more than 18 minutes of ice time per game.

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NHL Awards 2012: John Tortorella Runner-Up For Jack Adams Award

New York Rangers coach John Tortorella was the runner-up for the Jack Adams Award which is given to the NHL's Coach of the Year. St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock won the award, which was presented Wednesday during the 2012 NHL Awards Show.

Hitchcock led the Blues to a 43-15-11 record this past season. The team was 6-7-0 when Hitchcock took over and finished the season with 109 points. The Blues finished the season in second place in the Western Conference and set a franchise record for wins (49). The eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings defeated the Blues in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Tortorella led the Rangers to the best record in the Eastern Conference (51-24-7). The Rangers lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the New Jersey Devils, four games to two.

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NHL Awards 2012: Henrik Lundqvist Finalist For Hart, Vezina Trophies

NHL awards for the 2012 season will be announced Wednesday night