Washington Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin came into the 2015 NHL Awards knowing that he would be the recipient of his sixth career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the National Hockey League’s leading goal scorer. What wasn’t clear was whether or not he would also win two other awards: the Hart Memorial Trophy as the the player deemed most valuable to his team (voted on by the media) or the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s Most Outstanding Player (MOP ― voted on by fellow NHL players).
In the end, Ovechkin was handed the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy during the NHL Awards show, aired on NBC from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the sixth time the left winger has won the award and his fourth consecutive win after netting 53 goals this past season.
Ovechkin won the Rocket Richard Trophy in both 2008 and 2009 and has since won it every year as well since the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 season until now.
This year’s 53-goal season was Ovechkin’s sixth season in which he scored 50 or more goals. In doing so, he became just the sixth player in NHL history to record six or more seasons of 50+ goals.
He lost the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s MOP (voted by other NHL players) to Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. Dallas Stars left winger Jamie Benn was the other player nominated. Neither Price nor Benn had previously won that award while Ovechkin was vying for his fourth such win. The Caps star previously won the award every season from 2008-2010.
The Capitals All-Star was also nominated for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player (voted by the Pro Hockey Writers Association members) but didn’t come away a winner. He and New York Islanders center John Tavares ultimately lost to Price.
Had Ovechkin come away with the Hart Trophy, it would have been his fourth time winning the award.
Price had himself quite a night; winning the Ted Lindsay Award, the Vezina Trophy, the Hart Trophy and a share of the William Jennings Trophy.