Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Lidstrom Wins Norris Trophy, Shea Weber Second

In very close voting Nicklas Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy by nine points. It was the closest race for first sine 1996. For Lidstrom it was his seventh time to take home the hardware for best defenseman.

The final vote totals were:

1. Nicklas Lidstrom, DET 736 (35-23-34-15-10)
2. Shea Weber, NSH 727 (32-41-14-14-8)
3. Zdeno Chara, BOS 688 (33-24-24-20-10)
4. Lubomir Visnovsky, ANA 573 (20-20-26-28-19)
5. Keith Yandle, PHX 312 (5-10-17-25-32)

Make the jump for the full release from the NHL...

Red Wings' Lidstrom Wins Seventh Norris Trophy

Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings has won his seventh career James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded to the defenseman demonstrating "the greatest all-around ability in the position," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

Lidstrom edged Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators 736-727 in the closest race for first place since 1996, when Chicago's Chris Chelios finished five points ahead of Boston's Ray Bourque, 408-403. With Lidstrom, Weber and third-place Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins receiving similar first-place vote totals (Lidstrom 35, Weber 32, Chara 33) and the trio separated by just 48 points, this marks the tightest three-way race for the Norris Trophy since its introduction in 1954.

Lidstrom’s 19th NHL season was one of his most productive, ranking second among NHL defensemen in scoring with 62 points (16 goals, 46 assists) in 82 games. He tied for fourth place among League defensemen in goals, was third in assists and tied for sixth in power-play goals (six). The 41-year-old Red Wings captain, who yesterday announced he will return to Detroit for a 20th season in 2011-12, led the Central Division champions in ice time by averaging 23:28 per contest.

The 41-year-old Vasteras, Sweden native is the third defenseman in League history with as many as seven Norris Trophy wins, joining Hockey Hall of Fame members Bobby Orr (eight) and Doug Harvey (seven).

More Later..

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