OV=MVP!

Not that it is a huge surprise, but the Caps did pretty well at the NHL Awards shindig tonight, with Caps winning 3 out of the 4 awards they were nominated for.

Ovechkin won both the Hart (MVP) and the Pearson (most outstanding player as voted by the players themselves). Here's what the AP article had to say:

Ovechkin capped off a special season Thursday night by capturing the NHL’s two most prestigious individual awards. He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players’ choice for the most outstanding player.

According to Japers' Rink, Ovechkin got all but 6 of the 134 first place votes for the Hart and just about doubled the point total of second place finisher Evgeni Malkin (1313 to 659).

Bruce "Gabby" Boudreau won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach this year, narrowly defeating the Montreal Canadiens' head honcho Guy Carbonneauin total points 208 to 196, getting 31 of the 74 first place votes in the process.

Nicklas Backstrom got second in the Calder (Rookie of the Year) to Chicago's Patrick Kane, losing by 206 points (1078-872).

It was a good night for Washington DC hockey, especially when Ovechkin said this:

“I think I’m the happiest 22-year-old guy on the planet,” Ovechkin said. “I want to win everything, so next year maybe the Stanley Cup.”

“Next year I think we will be much better, and I can’t wait to see it start,” he said. “We love what we’re doing. We never give up, we believe in each other, we believe in the coach, we believe in everybody."

We believe in you too, Ovie!