One man's picks for the NHL awards

Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player)
1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh. With Evgeni Malkin injured and not playing up to standard, Crosby had to elevate his game. Never known as a big time goal scorer before, Crosby took it upon himself to shoot and ended up leading the league in goals. He isn't the most exciting player in the league but if there is anything closer to a model player and leader in the league, I'm not sure who it is (okay, maybe a younger Nicklas Lidstrom).

2. Alex Ovechkin, Washington
3. Henrik Sedin, Vancouver

(Ilya Bryzgalov is also a worthy candidate.)

Vezina Trophy (Top Goaltender)
1. Ryan Miller, Buffalo. Second in the league in both goals-against average and save percentage while playing 24 more games than the league leader.

2. Ilya Bryzgalov, Phoenix
3. Jimmy Howard, Detroit

(Tough to leave off Martin Brodeur who had one of the best seasons of his career. Tuukka Rask led in both goals-against average and save percentage but I wish he had played more games.)

Norris Trophy (Top Defenseman)
1. Duncan Keith, Chicago. Great two-way player who moves the puck well and excels at both ends of the ice. Joel Quenneville's best teams have always been built around great defensemen and Keith is the latest one.

2. Chris Pronger, Philadelphia
3. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles

(Two notes here: Though Mike Green led defensemen in scoring and was second in plus-minus to teammate Jeff Schultz, his shortcomings in his own end made it impossible for me to include him. Second, I sort of feel dirty for not including Nicklas Lidstrom who was his normal outstanding self yet again this season. From the Olympic break onward, he was head and shoulders above all others. He's the best defenseman who ever lived, other than Bobby Orr.)

Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward)
1. Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh. He does all of the little things for the Penguins so Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin don't have to.

2. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver
3. Jonathan Toews, Chicago

(Lots of good candidates, among them: Travis Zajac, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Frans Nielsen, Joe Pavelski and Jay McClement.)

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
1. Tyler Myers, Buffalo. It's rare that a defenseman steps in as a rookie and plays really, really well. Even rarer still is the one who comes in and immediately becomes a top-tier defenseman. That's exactly what the 20-year-old Myers was for the Sabres this season.

2. Jimmy Howard, Detroit
3. Tuukka Rask, Boston

(John Tavares had a strong year in anonymity because everyone who plays for the Islanders plays in anonymity. Matt Duchesne, however, was the best rookie forward.)

Jack Adams Award (Head of the Year)
1. Dave Tippett, Phoenix. Hired in training camp as the Coyotes went through their ownership, he has improbably taken them to their best ever season even as ownership remains unsettled and their home city for next season remains up in the air. Really, a no-brainer.

2. Bruce Boudreau, Washington
3. Mike Babcock, Detroit

(More options: Joel Quenneville, Joe Sacco, Barry Trotz and Terry Murray.)