Ovechkin scores hardware

Lidstrom takes Norris over Chara

NICKLAS LIDSTROM Sixth Norris Trophy

TORONTO - Alexander 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 Lester B. Pearson Award last night, honoring his MVP season that produced NHL highs of 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.

"I think I'm the happiest 22-year-old guy on the planet," Ovechkin said. "Everything I've got I make myself. I'm working hard and I know it's improving."

Ovechkin was the first player to score 60 goals since Mario Lemieux in 1996. He joined Sergei Fedorov (1994) as the only Russian-born players to win the Hart and the Pearson.

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 for the nation's capital came when Nicklas Backstrom was edged by Chicago's Patrick Kane for rookie of the year.

Boudreau, who led the Capitals to the Southeast Division title, beat out Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens.

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, beating out the Bruins' Zdeno Chara and Calgary's Dion Phaneuf. That moved Lidstrom into third place behind Bobby Orr (8) and Doug Harvey (7) and snapped a tie with another Hall of Famer, former Bruin Ray Bourque.

"He's the best player on our team," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said.

Another familiar winner was New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, chosen as the NHL's top goalie for the fourth time in five seasons. Despite not capturing the award for the first time until 2003, his 10th full season, his four Vezina Trophies are second only to the six won by recently retired Dominik Hasek since GMs started voting in 1982.

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 player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. He lost 10 pounds after starting to receive treatment, but didn't miss a game.

"There's lots of guys that go through certain things throughout their career and you've got to give them credit," Blake said. "I was very fortunate to play all 82 games and compete at the highest level. It's a great honor."

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 Sidney Crosby and the top line of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the Stanley Cup finals.

Datsyuk led the league with a plus-41 rating and won the award for the first time, finishing in front of Zetterberg and New Jersey's John Madden.