LA Kings Take Home Hardware at NHL Awards

With the season coming to an end, the NHL's top players headed to Las Vegas for the NHL Awards.
It was a night to honor and celebrate players' hard work put in throughout the season.
Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick were in town to represent the Kings.

Jonathan Quick, for the second time in his career, was presented the William M. Jennings trophy as the goalie of the team with the fewest goals against throughout the season. This isn't surprising, as Quick had a rock-solid performance this year with a save percentage of 0.921.

Kopitar was nominated for two awards this year: Hart Memorial Trophy and Frank J. Selke Trophy.  The Selke Trophy is given out to the best defensive forward in the league, with the Hart Trophy being awarded to the MVP. Kopitar, who has been nominated four out of the last five years, beat out Sean Couturier and Patrice Bergeron to take home the Selke award.

When asked about Anze Kopitar, fellow Hart trophy finalist Nathan McKinnon shared, "He's tough. He's probably the toughest guy I have to play against in this league. He's not going to cheat, and he still produces like one of the top scorers in the league. So, it's amazing. I've got a lot of respect for Kopi. He's one of the best players in the league, and he's been doing it for like 12 years now." 

Last but not least, Drew Doughty was the runner up for the Norris trophy and was voted First Team All Star for the 2017-18 season. Cue smash mouth music. 

In other categories, the winners were:

• Taylor Hall - Hart Trophy, most valuable player to his team  
• Gerard Gallant - Jack Adams Award, most successful coach
• Pekka Rinne - Vezina, best goaltender 
• Brian Boyle - Bill Masterton Trophy, player who best exemplifies perseverence and dedication
• William Karlsson - Lady Byng, sportsmanship paired with high playing ability
• Deryk Engelland - Mark Messier Leadership Award, growing the game of hockey in the community
• Mathew Barzal - Calder Trophy, most proficient in their first year 
• Victor Hedman - Norris Trophy, all-around greatest defenseman
• Connor McDavid - Ted Lindsay, most outstanding player 
• Connor McDavid - Art Ross, player who leads the league in points 
• Alex Ovechkin - Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy, player who leads the league in goals
• Daniel and Henrik Sedin - King Clancy, humanitarian contributions in the community

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This night was bigger than the NHL's top awards, as the league took the time to honor everyone in the hockey community from the Humbolt Broncos to the Las Vegas law enforcement officers. 

All this reflection on last season has us excited for the 2018-19 season. Only 100 days left until puck drop... but who's counting?