Major haul: Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin poses with the (from left) Ted Lindsay Award, the Hart Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy at the NHL Awards dinner in Las Vegas on Wednesday. APLAS, Vegas — Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin won the Hart Trophy on Wednesday night, becoming the NHL's most valuable player for the first time.Three Swedish players also claimed major trophies at the annual NHL Awards postseason ceremony, but the Penguins' Russian superstar claimed three awards for himself.Malkin won the Hart for the first time at the Wynn Las Vegas casino, beating out Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Tampa Bay scorer Steven Stamkos. Malkin also collected the Art Ross Trophy as the league scoring champion and the Ted Lindsay Award from his fellow NHLPA members as the NHL's best player."It's the best day of my life," said Malkin, known to teammates and fans as Geno. "It's very exciting."Malkin gathered the Hart, Ross and Lindsay awards next to him after the ceremony, only occasionally struggling in his ever-improving English to express his excitement.Malkin's 109-point season and steady leadership were even more impressive because he largely did it without teammate Sidney Crosby, who played just 22 games after his comeback from a concussion."I can't believe I'm sitting here, and around me there are three trophies," Malkin said. "It's an unbelievable day for me."Malkin, who turns 26 next month, edged out Stamkos and Lundqvist, who still won the Vezina Trophy for the first time.Lundqvist's win in his fourth Vezina nomination topped the impressive list of Swedish winners. Ottawa's Erik Karlsson won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, and Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie.Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson also won the King Clancy Trophy for humanitarian contributions to hockey."For sure, it's a great year for Sweden," Lundqvist said.St. Louis also had a pretty good day in Vegas: Ken Hitchcock won the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL's top coach for the first time in his lengthy career, while Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was selected he league's top executive. Blues goalies Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott also picked up their Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the regular season.Boston forward Patrice Bergeron won his first Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. Florida's Brian Campbell became the first defenseman since 1954 to win the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanlike play, and Montreal forward Max Pacioretty won the Masterton Trophy for his comeback from serious injury.But the spotlight was on Malkin, who won his first MVP award after arguably the most impressive season of his six-year career in Pittsburgh.Malkin had a career-high 50 goals and 59 assists while carrying the Penguins during the extended injury absence of 2007 Hart winner Crosby.Malkin was the NHL's only 100-point scorer this season and the first scoring champion in a decade to win a second title despite being almost every opponent's top defensive target whenever they faced the Penguins.Malkin also grew into a more prominent role outside of Crosby's shadow."Every year I'm a little bit more comfortable," he said. "I learn English, watch TV, go out with friends and teammates. I love this sport. I like my teammates, and I want to be the best."
Showing posts with label player. Show all posts
Showing posts with label player. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2012
Pittsburgh's Malkin selected as NHL's Most Valuable Player
Major haul: Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin poses with the (from left) Ted Lindsay Award, the Hart Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy at the NHL Awards dinner in Las Vegas on Wednesday. APLAS, Vegas — Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin won the Hart Trophy on Wednesday night, becoming the NHL's most valuable player for the first time.Three Swedish players also claimed major trophies at the annual NHL Awards postseason ceremony, but the Penguins' Russian superstar claimed three awards for himself.Malkin won the Hart for the first time at the Wynn Las Vegas casino, beating out Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Tampa Bay scorer Steven Stamkos. Malkin also collected the Art Ross Trophy as the league scoring champion and the Ted Lindsay Award from his fellow NHLPA members as the NHL's best player."It's the best day of my life," said Malkin, known to teammates and fans as Geno. "It's very exciting."Malkin gathered the Hart, Ross and Lindsay awards next to him after the ceremony, only occasionally struggling in his ever-improving English to express his excitement.Malkin's 109-point season and steady leadership were even more impressive because he largely did it without teammate Sidney Crosby, who played just 22 games after his comeback from a concussion."I can't believe I'm sitting here, and around me there are three trophies," Malkin said. "It's an unbelievable day for me."Malkin, who turns 26 next month, edged out Stamkos and Lundqvist, who still won the Vezina Trophy for the first time.Lundqvist's win in his fourth Vezina nomination topped the impressive list of Swedish winners. Ottawa's Erik Karlsson won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman, and Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie.Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson also won the King Clancy Trophy for humanitarian contributions to hockey."For sure, it's a great year for Sweden," Lundqvist said.St. Louis also had a pretty good day in Vegas: Ken Hitchcock won the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL's top coach for the first time in his lengthy career, while Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was selected he league's top executive. Blues goalies Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott also picked up their Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the regular season.Boston forward Patrice Bergeron won his first Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. Florida's Brian Campbell became the first defenseman since 1954 to win the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanlike play, and Montreal forward Max Pacioretty won the Masterton Trophy for his comeback from serious injury.But the spotlight was on Malkin, who won his first MVP award after arguably the most impressive season of his six-year career in Pittsburgh.Malkin had a career-high 50 goals and 59 assists while carrying the Penguins during the extended injury absence of 2007 Hart winner Crosby.Malkin was the NHL's only 100-point scorer this season and the first scoring champion in a decade to win a second title despite being almost every opponent's top defensive target whenever they faced the Penguins.Malkin also grew into a more prominent role outside of Crosby's shadow."Every year I'm a little bit more comfortable," he said. "I learn English, watch TV, go out with friends and teammates. I love this sport. I like my teammates, and I want to be the best."
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Devils honor former player Niedermayer
NEWARK, New Jersey — Saying it felt right to be wearing a Devils jersey again, a humble Scott Niedermayer saw his No. 27 jersey retired on Friday night by the New Jersey franchise that he helped win three of his four Stanley Cups.
To the rafters: Former Devils star Scott Niedermayer's number is retired by the franchise on Friday in New Jersey. AP PHOTO"It was an honor to be a New Jersey Devil," Niedermayer said near the end of the 35-minute ceremony held more than an hour before the Devils played the Dallas Stars. "These memories, I will cherish the rest of my life."The swift-skating Niedermayer is only the third Devil to have his jersey retired by the franchise, joining fellow defensemen Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko, the trio who along with goaltender Martin Brodeur formed the backbone of NHL championship teams in 1995, 2000 and 2003.Brodeur, Stevens, Daneyko and former assistant coach Larry Robinson combined to give Niedermayer his Devils jersey during the ceremony. The only other member of all three teams who was not present was forward Sergei Brylin, who is playing in Russia."To put this jersey on again feels right," Niedermayer said, drawing a roar from the packed crowd at the Prudential Center.Niedermayer was accompanied at the ceremony by his parents, his wife, Lisa, and their four children and his brother Rob, who joined Scott in winning a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007.During a short speech that was interrupted by cheers of 'Scotty,' 'Nieder-mayer' and 'Nieder,' the Edmonton, Alberta native thanked the Devils owners, general manager Lou Lamoriello, who drafted him third overall in 1991, his teammates, the fans and even the Stars, who showed a lot of class sitting on the bench for the ceremony."We had so much depth on those teams, I think sometimes it allows a player of Scott's caliber to get lost a little bit," said Stevens, the captain on all three Stanley Cup teams who was the first player in team history to have his jersey retired. "But he had it all, and he was able to develop at a time when the culture was changing under (former coach) Jacques (Lemaire) and Larry, and we just continued to build confidence. It's a good feeling."There were some bumps along the way, like there are with all teams, but we ended up becoming a championship team. Scott, obviously, had a lot to do with that."NEWARK, New Jersey — Zach Parise had a goal and three assists to help lead New Jersey to a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday.The Devils' David Clarkson, Adam Henrique, Ilya Kovalchuk, Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias also scored.Blackhawks 4, Ducks 1In Chicago, goalie Ray Emery stopped 24 shots, and Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist for the hosts.Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 4In Buffalo, Thomas Vanek had two goals and two assists, and Tyler Ennis added a goal and assist.Senators 6, Penguins 4In Ottawa, Jason Spezza had two goals and two assists, and Jared Cowen also had four points to lead the Sens past Pittsburgh.Panthers 3, Flames 2 (SO)In Sunrise, Florida, Stephen Weiss connected on the winner in the shootout.
To the rafters: Former Devils star Scott Niedermayer's number is retired by the franchise on Friday in New Jersey. AP PHOTO"It was an honor to be a New Jersey Devil," Niedermayer said near the end of the 35-minute ceremony held more than an hour before the Devils played the Dallas Stars. "These memories, I will cherish the rest of my life."The swift-skating Niedermayer is only the third Devil to have his jersey retired by the franchise, joining fellow defensemen Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko, the trio who along with goaltender Martin Brodeur formed the backbone of NHL championship teams in 1995, 2000 and 2003.Brodeur, Stevens, Daneyko and former assistant coach Larry Robinson combined to give Niedermayer his Devils jersey during the ceremony. The only other member of all three teams who was not present was forward Sergei Brylin, who is playing in Russia."To put this jersey on again feels right," Niedermayer said, drawing a roar from the packed crowd at the Prudential Center.Niedermayer was accompanied at the ceremony by his parents, his wife, Lisa, and their four children and his brother Rob, who joined Scott in winning a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007.During a short speech that was interrupted by cheers of 'Scotty,' 'Nieder-mayer' and 'Nieder,' the Edmonton, Alberta native thanked the Devils owners, general manager Lou Lamoriello, who drafted him third overall in 1991, his teammates, the fans and even the Stars, who showed a lot of class sitting on the bench for the ceremony."We had so much depth on those teams, I think sometimes it allows a player of Scott's caliber to get lost a little bit," said Stevens, the captain on all three Stanley Cup teams who was the first player in team history to have his jersey retired. "But he had it all, and he was able to develop at a time when the culture was changing under (former coach) Jacques (Lemaire) and Larry, and we just continued to build confidence. It's a good feeling."There were some bumps along the way, like there are with all teams, but we ended up becoming a championship team. Scott, obviously, had a lot to do with that."NEWARK, New Jersey — Zach Parise had a goal and three assists to help lead New Jersey to a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday.The Devils' David Clarkson, Adam Henrique, Ilya Kovalchuk, Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias also scored.Blackhawks 4, Ducks 1In Chicago, goalie Ray Emery stopped 24 shots, and Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa each had a goal and an assist for the hosts.Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 4In Buffalo, Thomas Vanek had two goals and two assists, and Tyler Ennis added a goal and assist.Senators 6, Penguins 4In Ottawa, Jason Spezza had two goals and two assists, and Jared Cowen also had four points to lead the Sens past Pittsburgh.Panthers 3, Flames 2 (SO)In Sunrise, Florida, Stephen Weiss connected on the winner in the shootout.Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Uchikawa's MVP win shows voters favor team over player
If Seiichi Uchikawa's win in the race for the Pacific League MVP award says anything, it's that the ultimate individual honor is really a team award in disguise.
Uchikawa had a strong season, leading Japan with a .338 average, hitting 12 homers, driving in 74 runs and finishing with a .856 on-base plus slugging percentage.The Hawks left fielder did that for a team that won the PL by 17.5 games before capturing the PL Climax Series and Japan Series titles.But was he the PL's best player?Based on individual merit, the second and third-place finishers, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Seibu Lions slugger Takeya Nakamura may have better resumes.In a year defined by pitchers, Tanaka was the best. The Sawamura Award winner won the pitching Triple Crown, co-leading NPB with 19 wins, and posting a 1.27 ERA (second-lowest in league history) and .792 win percentage. He was second to only Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Yu Darvish with 226? innings pitched and 241 strikeouts.Statistically it was the type of year that's usually rewarded.Looking at previous winners, Softbank's Toshiya Sugiuchi went 18-4 with a 2.11 ERA to win in 2005; Darvish was 15-5 with a 1.82 ERA in 2007, Rakuten's Hisashi Iwakuma was 21-4 with a 1.87 ERA in 2008; Darvish was 15-5 with a 1.73 ERA in 2009; and Softbank's Tsuyoshi Wada was 17-8 with a 3.14 ERA last season.The difference between Tanaka and those pitchers is that all but Iwakuma played on the team that finished first in the regular-season standings.To be fair, Tanaka benefited from NPB's new ball, which sent offensive numbers plummeting. But that only makes Nakamura's case more intriguing.Despite the new ball, Nakamura had a huge year.He finished the season with a Japan-best 48 home runs. That's 17 more than Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien, the next highest finisher, and two more than the entire Chiba Lotte Marines roster.
Help me out: Takeya Nakamura's spectacular 48-home run campaign might have garnered more MVP consideration had the third-place Lions finished a little higher in the standings. KYODO PHOTONakamura only hit .269, but drove in 116 runs and posted a .973 OPS, both NPB bests. The hard-hitting third baseman also played all 144 games at a much more demanding defensive position than Uchikawa, who appeared in 114.There's also a case to be made for the Fighters' Yoshio Itoi, who hit .319 with 11 homers, 54 RBIs and 31 stolen bases, while leading the PL with a .411 on-base percentage and finishing second to Nakamura with a .859 OPS.If their numbers were superior, then the fatal flaw for Tanaka, Nakamura and Itoi was playing on teams that failed to win the pennant.Uchikawa was aided by the all-around strength of the Hawks, and a majority of voters have decided the 'V' in MVP is linked with team success.That's been the case in recent years, among which Iwakuma's win is the outlier. Before 2008, the last MVP from a team that wasn't first in the standings was Orix BlueWave outfielder Ichiro Suzuki in 1994.Iwakuma had the wins in 2008, but Darvish had the stronger season. Which seemingly says reaching a nice big number such as 20 wins (despite a pitcher's overall lack of control over wins and losses) or 50 homers is the criteria for a non-pennant winner.NPB can make things easier by just limiting MVP candidates to members of the pennant-winning team, since most voters don't seem to be able to handle that the year's best player might not have played for the best team. Uchikawa had a great year, but if the MVP award is really an individual honor, Tanaka and Nakamura were more deserving.
Uchikawa had a strong season, leading Japan with a .338 average, hitting 12 homers, driving in 74 runs and finishing with a .856 on-base plus slugging percentage.The Hawks left fielder did that for a team that won the PL by 17.5 games before capturing the PL Climax Series and Japan Series titles.But was he the PL's best player?Based on individual merit, the second and third-place finishers, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and Seibu Lions slugger Takeya Nakamura may have better resumes.In a year defined by pitchers, Tanaka was the best. The Sawamura Award winner won the pitching Triple Crown, co-leading NPB with 19 wins, and posting a 1.27 ERA (second-lowest in league history) and .792 win percentage. He was second to only Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Yu Darvish with 226? innings pitched and 241 strikeouts.Statistically it was the type of year that's usually rewarded.Looking at previous winners, Softbank's Toshiya Sugiuchi went 18-4 with a 2.11 ERA to win in 2005; Darvish was 15-5 with a 1.82 ERA in 2007, Rakuten's Hisashi Iwakuma was 21-4 with a 1.87 ERA in 2008; Darvish was 15-5 with a 1.73 ERA in 2009; and Softbank's Tsuyoshi Wada was 17-8 with a 3.14 ERA last season.The difference between Tanaka and those pitchers is that all but Iwakuma played on the team that finished first in the regular-season standings.To be fair, Tanaka benefited from NPB's new ball, which sent offensive numbers plummeting. But that only makes Nakamura's case more intriguing.Despite the new ball, Nakamura had a huge year.He finished the season with a Japan-best 48 home runs. That's 17 more than Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien, the next highest finisher, and two more than the entire Chiba Lotte Marines roster.Help me out: Takeya Nakamura's spectacular 48-home run campaign might have garnered more MVP consideration had the third-place Lions finished a little higher in the standings. KYODO PHOTONakamura only hit .269, but drove in 116 runs and posted a .973 OPS, both NPB bests. The hard-hitting third baseman also played all 144 games at a much more demanding defensive position than Uchikawa, who appeared in 114.There's also a case to be made for the Fighters' Yoshio Itoi, who hit .319 with 11 homers, 54 RBIs and 31 stolen bases, while leading the PL with a .411 on-base percentage and finishing second to Nakamura with a .859 OPS.If their numbers were superior, then the fatal flaw for Tanaka, Nakamura and Itoi was playing on teams that failed to win the pennant.Uchikawa was aided by the all-around strength of the Hawks, and a majority of voters have decided the 'V' in MVP is linked with team success.That's been the case in recent years, among which Iwakuma's win is the outlier. Before 2008, the last MVP from a team that wasn't first in the standings was Orix BlueWave outfielder Ichiro Suzuki in 1994.Iwakuma had the wins in 2008, but Darvish had the stronger season. Which seemingly says reaching a nice big number such as 20 wins (despite a pitcher's overall lack of control over wins and losses) or 50 homers is the criteria for a non-pennant winner.NPB can make things easier by just limiting MVP candidates to members of the pennant-winning team, since most voters don't seem to be able to handle that the year's best player might not have played for the best team. Uchikawa had a great year, but if the MVP award is really an individual honor, Tanaka and Nakamura were more deserving.Friday, June 3, 2011
Tennis player receives lifetime ban
London — Austria's Daniel Koellerer became the first tennis player Tuesday to be banned for life for attempting to fix matches.Koellerer, a former Davis Cup player who once reached No. 55 in the world rankings, was found guilty of three violations of the sport's anti-corruption rules, including "contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event."The violations occurred between October 2009 and July 2010.The Tennis Integrity Unit, an anti-corruption group, launched an investigation on behalf of the International Tennis Federation and the ATP and WTA tours.
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