“I came to Vegas nominated for two trophies and I’m leaving with one, so I’m obviously happy,” Chara said. “It’s a privilege. I’m so honored to be here and be selected, and obviously the ultimate prize is overcoming everything and winning the Cup.”
The Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since 1972 last week in Vancouver, and Mark Messier saw the foundation for that victory laid with Chara’s arrival in Boston back in 2006.

As Pittsburgh prepares to host the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, hockey fans and visitors to the region will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with rarely-seen treasures from one of the game’s all-time greats at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Beginning today, the museum will host Memories of Mario, an exhibit featuring a special collection of trophies, jerseys, and sticks on loan from Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Famer and current team owner Mario Lemieux, on display through Feb. 13.

Included are Lemieux’s jersey from the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals and his hockey stick from his 1,000th career assist versus Boston in 2003. His jersey from the 1990 All-Star game, which was played at the Civic Arena, is also on display.

There are 15 personal trophies from Lemieux’s home collection as part of the exhibit, including Art Ross Trophies given to the league’s top scorer, two Conn Smythe trophies as MVP of the 1991 and 1992 playoffs, and a replica Stanley Cup presented to him in 2008-09 as the Penguins owner.

The exhibit will also honor the 10th anniversary of Mario Lemieux’s historic comeback game on Dec. 27, 2000, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when the Pittsburgh legend returned to the ice three years after health complications forced his early retirement from the game. Visitors to the exhibit will also be invited to share their favorite memory of Mario.

Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum Highlights Local Hockey

Memories of Mario is just one part of the hockey experience at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. Visitors can learn more about how Pittsburgh was home to the world’s first semi-pro hockey league and first artificial ice rink, take a closer look at the championship teams of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early 1990s and 2008-09, and see items from the Pittsburgh Hornets.

Among the items recently added to the Sports Museum is a silver medal won by Pittsburgh hockey player Herb Drury from the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924. Drury, who was a defenseman, recorded an astounding 22 goals to lead the U.S. team through the Olympic tournament before losing to Canada in the gold medal game.

For more information on Memories of Mario and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, please visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org.

Extended Holiday Hours

To meet the needs of both local and out-of-town visitors, the History Center has announced extended hours during the holidays.

The History Center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following dates:

* Sun., Dec. 26 through Wed., Dec. 29
* Sat., Jan. 1 through Sun., Jan. 9

The museum will be open regular hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) on Dec. 30 and 31.

The Senator John Heinz History Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum is a museum within a museum, comprehensively presenting the region’s remarkable sports story through hundreds of artifacts and interactive experiences for visitors of all ages. The History Center and Sports Museum are located at 1212 Smallman Street in the city’s Strip District.

More information is available at www.heinzhistorycenter.org.

Wednesday night June 9th, 2010 the Philadelphia Flyers fell to the Chicago Blackhawks on in the sixth game of the Stanley Cup finals. Although Philadelphia lost they fought hard, as they delivered a game-tying goal late in the third period and a few hard-hitting minutes of overtime before Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane blasted the puck between the legs of Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton. Maybe one of the top ten hockey goals in sports history. It’s been a wild year for Kane, who was also on the team that represented the United States at the Winter Olympics, so he now has a the most prestigious hockey trophy and sports trophy ever the Stanley Cup to go with his silver medal.

Along with the rest of his teammates on the Blackhawks, Kane will be getting his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup, the most iconic trophy in all of professional sports. It’s a special prize because there exists only one (unlike other sports, where a fresh trophy is made every year, so there are currently dozens of Lombardi Trophies out there) and it’s the same one that has been used since organized hockey was awarding prizes to champions.

Befitting of the country’s top-ranked team, the traveling trophy traveled back to Denver after the Pioneers pounded Colorado College 7-3 to win the season series with a 2-1-1 record. A sellout World Arena crowd of 7,746 witnessed DU at its best.

“We were really good,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. “Our puck possession, especially in the offensive zone, and our transition game — the guys were very sharp. I think maybe we wanted it a little more.”

In producing its NCAA-high 25th win, DU scored three times within the first 12 minutes and built a 6-0 lead midway through the game.

“When I came to Denver, I never thought it would come down to the last game of the regular season, and at CC, to get the Gold Pan back for us, but it says a lot about our team,” DU senior Tyler Ruegsegger of Lakewood said. “We wanted it bad. I’m so proud of how we came out tonight. We worked hard and deserve that trophy.”

The Pioneers (25-7-4), who previously won the Denver Cup and MacNaughton Cup as Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season champions, took ownership of the Gold Pan for the first time since 2006. They swept the three trophies for the first time since 2005.

“The frustrations that our seniors went through the last three years (with CC) have been enormous,” DU captain Rhett Rakhshani said. “They’d beat us and rub it in our face. We had enough, and we stood our ground. We had the last laugh. You never know what’s going to happen the rest of the season, but as far as the Gold Pan is concerned, we have it.”

DU junior wing Kyle Ostrow had a team-high three points, including the first and fifth goals. Rakhshani, junior center Jesse Martin and sophomore wing Joe Colborne each had a goal and an assist, and Ruegsegger had two helpers.

CC captain Mike Testwuide, who had the game-winning assist in Friday’s 2-1 upset win at Magness Arena, scored his 19th and 20th goals after the game was out of reach.

“They were good,” CC coach Scott Owens said of the WCHA top-seeded Pioneers, who host 10th-seeded Michigan Tech on Friday to begin a three-game league playoff series. “They’re deep. They played hard. They were hungry. We never got our legs going. . . . It was a reversal from (Friday) night, no doubt.”

The Tigers (18-15-3) finish sixth in the WCHA and open the postseason Friday at fifth- seeded Minnesota-Duluth. CC is tied for 21st in the PairWise Rankings and probably has to win the WCHA playoff title to advance to the 16-team NCAA Tournament.

DU is No. 1 in the PairWise and assured of an NCAA berth.

“Now the regular season is over with and the best part of the season is here,” Gwoz- decky said.

Denver 3 3 1 — 7
Colorado College 0 1 2 — 3

First period — 1, Denver, K. Ostrow 14 (Martin, Maiani), 5:50. 2, Denver, Glasser 3 (Dewhurst, Vossberg), 7:00. 3, Denver, Martin 11 (K. Ostrow), 11:53. Penalties — Marciano, CC (hooking), :45; Johnson, CC (tripping), 13:18; Colborne, DU (interference), 13:49; Wiercioch, DU (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:09; Schwartz, CC (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:09.

Second period — 4, Denver, Colborne 20 (Rakhshani, Ruegsegger), 1:19. 5, Denver, K. Ostrow 15 (unassisted), 9:39. 6, Denver, Gifford 2 (Colborne), 9:30. 7, Colorado College, Testwuide 19 (Hamburg), 13:25. Penalties — Wiercioch, DU (tripping), 3:37; Brookwell, DU (tripping), 4:04; Donovan, DU (hooking), 18:32.

Third period — 8, Colorado College, Johnson 13 (McMillin, Marciano), 6:59; 9, Colorado College, Testwuide 20 (Fredheim, Schwartz), 15:33. 10, Denver, Rakhshani 20 (Ruegsegger), 16:07 (pp). Penalties — Prosser, CC (contact to head), 15:45; Dewhurst, DU (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:07; Hall, CC (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:07.

Shots — DU 8-19-8 — 35. CC 12-11-13 — 36. Power plays — DU 1 of 4. CC 0 of 4. Goalies — DU, Cheverie (22-4-3) 36 shots-33 saves. CC, Howe (16-14-3) 8-5, O’Brien 27-23. A — 7,746.

Yes, Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal lifted Canada past the United States in one of the most thrilling hockey games ever played, Olympic or otherwise. It also allowed every Canadian to breathe a sigh of relief, their national pride on the line in a climax of epic proportions.

But Crosby’s goal did something else, something much more than just securing the gold medal for his native country in perhaps the most buzzed about, and compelling, tournament in hockey history. It put an end to one of life’s most gripping questions.

Crosby or Ovechkin?

Much like the Olympic flame that was extinguished soon after this thriller of a gold medal game, so too was the debate between these two hockey greats.

Game, set and match, Crosby.

For nearly five years now, people have been split over one of the biggest debates in all of sports. And for the most part, both sides have had compelling arguments, with Crosby and Ovechkin each supplying their respective sides with plenty of ammunition to make a case for them.

Their rivalry has put hockey back into the public eye, but it’s their play that has made it relevant.

Ovechkin grabbed the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year after the 2005-2006 season, edging out Crosby for the distinction. He’s also got two Maurice Richards Trophies (most goals) to his name, an Art Ross Trophy (most points), and two Hart Memorial Trophies (MVP) on his resume. With three All-Star appearances, and one of the most jaw-dropping personal highlight-reels, it’s easy to see why many give Ovechkin the distinction as the world’s premier player.

Read more…

Frank J. Selke Trophy

The trophy was names after Frank J. Selke, the former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.

A list of the recipients and their teams can be found here on the NHL website.

The World Junior Championship Trophies will be in the city on Thursday, part of a tour of eastern Ontario cities.

Canada has won the World Junior title the last four years, and the trophies will be making stops at 16 RBC branches during the next three weeks.

While in Cornwall, the trophies will also visit some local schools where students will be provided with free Cornwall Colts tickets courtesy of RBC.

The trophies will also be available for public viewing in the concourse of the Ed Lumley Arena at the Colts game on Thursday evening.

This year’s World Junior Hockey Championship is taking place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, in Ottawa.

The trophies will be in Cornwall at the RBC main branch (300 Pitt Street) on Thursday, from 9:30 a. m. until noon.

From noon until 1 p. m., the trophies will be at local schools.

The Cornwall Square will have the trophies on display from 1 p. m. to 5 p. m., before the hardware makes it way over to the Ed Lumley Arena, on display in the concourse area from 6:30 p. m. to 8 p. m.

The Colts host the Gloucester Rangers on Thursday.

Originally posted by Standard Freeholder.

Former college hockey stars Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter will be enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as the Class of 2008 it was announced today by USA Hockey. Providence and Women’s Team USA standout Cammi Granato was also selected, the first female among the Hall’s 134 members.

The quartet will be formally inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Denver on Friday, Oct. 10, at Magness Arena on the campus of the University of Denver. The following evening — Sat., Oct. 11 — the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game will take place in the same venue, when Denver plays Notre Dame.

“The Class of 2008 is one of the most accomplished groups that’s ever been inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame,” said Ron DeGregorio, president of USA Hockey. “It is indeed with great pleasure that we welcome them to the group of hockey immortals in our country.”

Hull recorded 1,391 points during his more than 20-year National Hockey League career that included stints with five teams. Hull’s 741 career goals place him third all-time in NHL history. In his first full season with the Blues (1988-89), he scored 41 goals and captured the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The following year marked the first of three consecutive 70-plus goal seasons, which included a career-high 86 goals in 1990-91 to earn him the Lester B. Pearson Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP.

Hull helped the United States to an Olympic silver medal at his second Games in 2002 and topped the tournament in scoring as Team USA captured the World Cup of Hockey in 1996, the first of his two World Cup appearances. He also participated in the 1991 Canada Cup and 1986 IIHF Men’s World Championship.

Hull played two seasons at Minnesota-Duluth, where he scored 52 goals in his sophomore season and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. No college player has scored more goals in single season since.

In 18 NHL seasons, Leetch was an 11-time All-Star, won two Norris Trophies as the league’s best defenseman, captured a Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoff MVP and was the Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie. He is one of only five blueliners in NHL history to record more than 100 points in a season and one of seven to accumulate more than 1,000 points in his career (247-781–1028).

In his rookie season with the New York Rangers (1988-89), who drafted him ninth overall in 1986, Leetch put up 23 goals and 48 assists to capture the Calder Trophy. Three years later, in 1991-92, Leetch tallied a career-best 102 points, including a team record 80 assists, to capture the Norris Trophy for the first time. In 1993-94, the Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in more than 50 years. He led the way as the top scorer in the post season and was the first ever American-born player to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.

Internationally, Leetch is one of just 10 American men’s ice hockey players to have competed in the Olympic Winter Games three or more times, as he played for Team USA in 1988, 1998 and 2002. He also represented the United States at three IIHF World Junior Championships (1985-87), two IIHF Men’s World Championships (1987, 1989), one Canada Cup (1991) and twice in the World Cup of Hockey (1996, 2004).

Leetch played one season (1986-87) of college hockey at Boston College and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

Mike Richter played in 666 games during his 14-year NHL career, all with the New York Rangers. His 301 wins with the team are more than any other Rangers goaltender and he helped the club win its first Stanley Cup in over 50 years.

Playing full-time for the Rangers beginning during the 1990-91 season, he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie in just his second full season in the NHL. In 1993-94, Richter was selected as the MVP of the NHL All-Star Game and went on to set a Rangers’ single-season record with 42 wins in leading the team to the President’s Trophy and its first Stanley Cup title since 1942. Beyond making a huge impact for the Rangers, Richter also was an integral part of the U.S. program for parts of three decades. He is one of just 10 Americans ever to compete in at least three Olympic Games, including in 2002, when the team captured the silver medal. In addition, he led Team USA to the World Cup of Hockey championship in 1996 and was named the tournament’s MVP. He also played in two IIHF World Junior Championships (1985-86), three IIHF Men’s World Championships (1986-87, 1993) and the 1991 Canada Cup. Richter, a three-time NHL All-Star, played two seasons of college hockey (1985-87) at Wisconsin before beginning his professional career.

Cammi Granato’s extraordinary playing career, particularly at the international level, has played a key role in the growth of women’s hockey not only in the United States, but across the world. At Providence College, she established goal-scoring records and captured ECAC Player of the Year honors from 1991-93.

A 15-year member of the U.S. Women’s National Team beginning in 1990, Granato is the program’s all-time scoring leader with 343 points (186-157) in 205 games. She achieved international fame by captaining Team USA to the gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, the first time ever women’s ice hockey was included in the Games. Four years later, she captained the United States to the silver medal at the 2002 Olympics. In her last international competition and ninth World Championship, she led Team USA to the gold medal, its first-ever in an IIHF World Women’s Championship. In 2007, Granato received the NHL’s Lester Patrick Award in recognition of outstanding service to hockey in the United States, and, in 2008, she was enshrined into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Granato was the first woman to be honored with the aforementioned awards and will be the first female to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Originally Written by CHN Staff, www.college hockeynews.com

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby won the Hart Trophy as the National Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player tonight, capping a sophomore season in which he became the youngest scoring champion in major pro sports history and sparked one of the NHL’s most dramatic team turnarounds.

Crosby, who earlier this month was named the youngest team captain in League history, received 91 of 143 first-place votes for 1,225 points in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, who tallied 25 first-place votes and 801 points, was runner-up.

At 19 years, 10 months, Crosby is the second-youngest Hart Trophy winner in the history of the award, which was introduced in 1924. Wayne Gretzky was 19 years, 5 months old in 1979-80 when he captured the first of eight consecutive Hart Trophies with the Edmonton Oilers.

Crosby finished the regular season with 36 goals and 84 assists for 120 points, winning the Art Ross Trophy as League scoring champion. He took the permanent scoring lead with a career-high six-point night against Philadelphia Dec. 13 and never went more than three consecutive games without a point afterward. The Penguins were 41-10-9 in games when Crosby recorded a point, 6-13-0 when he did not and 0-1-2 when he was out of the lineup.

The Penguins finished the season with a 47-24-11 record for 105 points, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2001 and recording a 47-point improvement over 2005-06. Only three clubs in NHL history have posted a bigger gain, most recently the Winnipeg Jets’ 48-point surge from 1980-81 to 1981-82.

Other honorees included Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. Malkin launched his NHL career in memorable fashion, becoming the first player in 89 years to score goals in each of his first six NHL games. Before Malkin, only three players in NHL history had scored at least one goal in each of their first six (or more) games and all did so in 1917-18, the League’s inaugural season. The 20-year-old went on to lead all rookies in goals (33), power-play goals (16), assists (52) and points (85).

Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings joined an elite group by capturing the Norris Trophy as the League’s outstanding defenseman for the fifth time. Lidstrom becomes the fourth defenseman in League history with as many as five Norris Trophy wins, joining Hockey Hall of Fame members Bobby Orr (eight), Doug Harvey (seven) and Ray Bourque (five). Lidstrom, who earned his fifth Norris in the past six seasons, tied for the League lead among defensemen in plus-minus with a +40 rating, ranked third among all players in ice time per game (27:29) and was fifth among defensemen in scoring with 62 points (13 goals, 49 assists).

Lidstrom’s teammate, Pavel Datsyuk, won his second consecutive Lady Byng Trophy for combining sportsmanship with a high standard of play. Datsyuk led the Red Wings in scoring for the second consecutive season, matching a career high with 87 points (27 goals, 60 assists). His plus-36 rating ranked second on the club and seventh in the League overall.

Another repeat winner was Carolina Hurricanes captain Rod Brind’Amour, who won the Frank Selke Trophy as the League’s outstanding defensive forward. Brind’Amour ranked second among all NHL centers with a 59.2% face-off winning percentage and ranked third among League forwards in average ice time per game (23:19).

The New Jersey Devils’ Martin Brodeur claimed the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender for the third time in the past four seasons following a record-breaking campaign. Brodeur won an unprecedented 48 games, surpassing Bernie Parent’s mark of 47 in 1973-74, led the NHL in shutouts (12), ranked third in goals-against average (2.18) and third in save percentage (.922).

Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks won his first Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach, edging last year’s winner, Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres, by eight points (134-126). In his first year behind the Vancouver bench, Vigneault guided the Canucks to a franchise record-breaking season. They improved their wins record to 49 from a previous high of 46 and recorded the highest points total in club history with 105.

Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu accepted the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contributions to his community. Koivu’s exemplary support of cancer treatment and research — and, more particularly, his personal demonstration of courage as a cancer survivor — is a source of inspiration and pride to his teammates as well as the many thousands of patients and their families who benefit from his generosity.

Boston Bruins center Phil Kessel received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Diagnosed with testicular cancer in early December, the 19-year-od Kessel played a Dec. 9 game against New Jersey, knowing he would be admitted to the hospital for surgery on Dec. 12. He missed only 12 games before returning to Boston’s lineup.

Four players who received the NHL’s statistic-based trophies June 2 in Ottawa also were acknowledged at the NHL Awards Show this evening: Crosby (Art Ross Trophy), Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier (Maurice Richard Trophy as goal-scoring leader) and the Minnesota Wild’s Niklas Backstrom and Manny Fernandez (William Jennings Trophy as goaltenders on the club allowing the fewest goals).

The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) cast ballots for the Hart, Norris, Selke, Lady Byng and Calder Trophies. The PHWA also voted on the Masterton Trophy. The 30 NHL General Managers voted on the Vezina Trophy. The NHL Broadcasters’ Association (NHLBA) submitted votes for the Jack Adams Award, and a special panel of representatives from the PHWA and NHLBA chose the King Clancy winner. Voting for these awards was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season.

Balloting results were tabulated by the accounting firm Ernst & Young, with the exception of the Masterton and King Clancy trophies. The results for these awards were tabulated by the PHWA and the National Hockey League, respectively.

Orginally Written by http://penguins.nhl.com

Trophy News from ESPN

Kobe Bryant recently said he would rather win an Olympic gold medal than the NBA championship. Was he merely saying what was politically correct before the Olympics? Did he say it only because it sounds better than “I would rather win an Olympic gold medal than lose the NBA championship”? Or does an Olympic gold medal really mean more to him than a professional championship?

Only Kobe knows for sure but what about you? What sporting trophy means the most to you? Of all the things you could win in sports, which would you choose? A Super Bowl ring? The Masters green jacket? The Heisman Trophy? The Cy Young Award? A World Series? A Final Four? There are dozens upon dozens of championships and awards to win, but which would you most want to claim?

Here are a few quick caveats on my rankings:

The form of the award matters. Trophies top plaques, and the bigger the better. After all, you want the damn thing to look impressive in your trophy case.

Names count, too. Awards named in honor of a person (such as the Cy Young) just resonate more than those that, while prestigious, are named something boring and generic like the “MVP award.”

Durability counts. Generally, the longer the award has been around, the more it means.

Originally Written by Jim Caple for ESPN