Regular NHL Championship (National Hockey League) is a tournament, the average level of players of which surpasses any other similar competition of professional hockey players on the planet. According to its results, a “beer party” is held every year in Las Vegas, at which the organizers announce the names of the players who have become the best in the season ended, even among these “cream of the hockey society”.
Twelve trophies were handed out at this year's awards ceremony at the Encore Theater on June 20th. The total number of applicants for them was a non-circular number of 31 - one more than all clubs in the NHL. But representatives of only 17 teams were nominated, and some of them claimed several awards at the same time. Among those who excelled was the Russian Evgeny Malkin, who was on his way to Las Vegas having already secured one of the trophies - the Art Ross Trophy. This prize is awarded to the best scorer of the championship on the goal + pass system, and Evgeny finished it on the first line of the list, gaining 109 points in the season (50 goals scored + 59 assists).
The most prestigious trophy among professional NHL hockey players is considered to be the Hart Trophy - its owner is declared the most significant person of the season. The winner of the nomination is determined by a vote of representatives of the NHL Journalists Association from each city in which there are league clubs. This prize recognizes the hockey player who made the most significant contribution to the victories of his team. In addition to Malkin, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay striker Stephen Stamkos and goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist of the Los Angeles Kings, the team that won this year's Stanley Cup, were on the table. The voting results were quite unambiguous - Evgeny scored 144 points out of 149. Before him, only two Russians became the best NHL hockey players - in 1994 it was Sergey Fedorov, and in 2008 and 2009 the prize was held by Alexander Ovechkin.
Evgeni Malkin also received the Ted Lindsay Award - its owner is chosen by voting by the hockey players of the North American League themselves, identifying in their ranks the most outstanding player of the regular season.
