The group of finalists comprised Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, Colorado forward Gabriel Landeskog, and Winnipeg forward Jonathan Toews.
Washington’s captain, Alexander Ovechkin, did not make the final three for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy—an award presented to the player demonstrating the greatest dedication to the game of hockey, sportsmanship, and perseverance. This information was released by the National Hockey League (NHL) press service.
The Swedish defenseman for Buffalo, Rasmus Dahlin, his compatriot, Colorado forward Gabriel Landeskog, and Canadian forward Jonathan Toews of Winnipeg were the ones named to the final shortlist.
TASS had previously reported that the capital club had nominated the Russian player as a contender for the honor. The award, established in 1968, is named after Bill Masterton, a hockey player who tragically died from injuries sustained during a game. No Russian player has ever received this accolade. Each team nominates a single candidate for the prize.
Ovechkin holds the record for the most goals scored in NHL regular season history, with 929 tallies. When including playoff games, he ranks second among the league’s top goal-scorers with a total of 1,006 goals, trailing Wayne Gretzky (1,016).
Ovechkin is 40 years old and was drafted first overall by Washington in 2004. The Russian has played for the capital club since 2005. The forward has claimed the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player three times, earned the Rocket Richard Trophy as the top goal-scorer nine times, secured the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the season’s best player as voted by his peers, on three occasions, and won the Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the regular season’s leading point producer, once. In 2018, Ovechkin led Washington to win the Stanley Cup—the franchise’s only championship to date.
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