Ted Lindsay Award Nominees Announced by NHL

The National Hockey League announced the nominees for the Ted Lindsay Award for Most Outstanding Player on Friday. 

The top three finalists, receiving the most votes from the NHL Players Association were, Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks.

The three players will find out which one of them will be making his acceptance speech on June 22 at the 2016 NHL Awards being held at the Hardrock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Benn was second in the league in scoring with 89 points and third in goals with 41. Both totals were a personal best for him. His 1.09 points-per-game average was second overall, while his 20:01 per game, helped lead the Stars to the Central Division title and first overall record in the Western Conference. 

While no Stars player has ever won the Ted Lindsay Award, this is the second straight season, being a finalist for the Stars captain.

Holtby tied Martin Brodeur’s single season record for most wins in one season, with 48 victories, helping to lead the Capitals to the President’s Trophy for the best overall record in the regular season. Amongst goalies that played in 30 or more games during the 2015-2016 season, he ranked fifth with a 2.20 goals against average and eighth with a .922 save percentage. 

Holtby, a first time Lindsay Award finalist, is also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for top goaltender in the league. 

Kane led the league with league with 106 points and was second in goals with 46 during this past season, both personal bests for him. He is the first American born player to win the Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the NHL player with the most points during the regular season. 

During the season, Kane had a 26-game point streak, which was the longest by any American born NHL player and longest for any Blackhawk player. He led the league in points-per-game at 1.29 and power play points (37), while helping lead the Blackhawks to their eighth straight postseason. 

Since 1971, when the award was first presented as the Lester B. Pearson Award, no Blackhawks players and no American born player has ever won it.