The Caps nearly had the sweep fans were looking for as Alex Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award for best player voted on by the players. He added to his Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals this season, and the Art Ross Trophy for most points.
Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau took home the Jack Adams Award as the top coach in the NHL this season. He replaced coach Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving Day and proceeded to lead his club to a 37-17-7 and an improbable playoff spot that was captured with a win in their last regular season game.
Just missing out was Caps rookie Nicklas Backstrom, who had a stellar first season, notching 69 points and a rookie-leading 55 assists this season. While many considered his second-half improvement crucial to the Caps' playoff run, he still missed the award by 206 points. Backstrom was also a +13 to Kane's -5 rating, and helped put his team in the playoffs. Any other year Backstrom would have been a shoe-in. But Kane's solid play on a sub-par team no doubt endeared him to the voters, giving him the trophy and distinction of being this year's NHL rookie of the year.
