The Stanley Cup Final is in Edmonton, and Oilers star Leon Draisaitl made history Monday night.
Only it had more to do with his home country than his home arena.
Draisaitl became the first German player to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP after leading the NHL in scoring with 110 points in 71 games. He also won the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player as voted by peers.
Draisaitl joins former NBA star Dirk Nowitzki as the only German players to earn MVP honors in one of the four major North American professional sports leagues.
“Dirk was obviously someone that I look up to, someone that I admire,” Draisaitl said. “The way he presents himself and the way he really has achieved everything that there is to achieve for a professional athlete in North America. He’s always been someone that I look up to and it’s a big honor for me to be in that conversation with him.”
Draisaitl finished ahead of Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He scored 43 goals, and his 67 assists were a career high despite the regular season being cut short.
The Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender, the Nashville Predators’ Roman Josi got the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman and the Avalanche’s Cale Makar won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Draisaitl is the second Oilers player to win the Hart in the last four years following Connor McDavid, who is widely considered the best hockey player in the world. Draisaitl played with and without McDavid this season and produced even more.
“Connor and I have a very healthy, great, competitive relationship and we just try to make each other better every day,” Draisaitl said.
The Oilers were eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the qualifying round of the expanded 24-team playoffs despite playing games in their — empty, of course — home rink. Minutes before the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning faced off in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Draisaitl accepted the Hart and Ted Lindsay virtually from his home in Cologne, Germany, where it was already early Wednesday morning.
Draisaitl didn’t get to celebrate with family members because they were asleep, and he would rather still be playing for the chance to win a title and add another white “NHL STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS” banner to the rafters at Rogers Place.
“It’s a nice personal reward,” Draisaitl said. “But there’s nothing that comes ahead of the Stanley Cup. That’s the same for any player in the league. If I could hand those two or three awards back in for a Stanley Cup, I would do that in a heartbeat and I think so would everyone else.”
2019-20 NHL award winners
Hart Memorial Trophy, MVP — Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
Vezina Trophy, goaltender — Connor Hellebuyck, Jets
Norris Memorial Trophy, defenseman — Roman Josi, Predators
Calder Memorial Trophy, rookie — Cale Makar, Avalanche
Frank J. Selke Trophy, defensive forward — Sean Couturier, Flyers
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, most gentlemanly — Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche
Jack Adams Award, coach — Bruce Cassidy, Bruins
King Clancy Trophy, humanitarian contribution to hockey — Matt Dumba, Wild
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, great leadership qualities both on and off the ice — Mark Giordano, Flames
Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, individual who has positively impacted his or her community, culture or society — Dampy Brar
NHL General Manager of the Year Award — Lou Lamoriello, Islanders
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, perserverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey — Bobby Ryan, Senators
Awards based on regular-season statistics
Art Ross Trophy, scoring leader — Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
Maurice Richard Trophy, goal-scoring leader — Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
William M. Jennings Trophy, goalies with fewest goals against, minimum 25 games — Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, Bruins
Award voted on by NHL Players’ Association
Ted Lindsay Award, outstanding player — Leon Draisaitl, Oilers
