Sidney Crosby, Brent burns and Connor McDavid Final Three for Ted Lindsay Award

The nominees for the Ted Lindsay Award, presented to the Most Outstanding Player as chosen by the National Hockey League Players Association, were announced on Tuesday. 

The top three finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award are, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. The winner will find out who gets to take home the hardware at the 2017 NHL Awards on June 21. 

Burns, led all defensemen with 29 goals and 79 points through 82 games during the 20160-2017 NHL season. With 320 shots on goal, he led the league. It was the first time a defenseman put up the most shots on net since, former Boston Bruin, Ray Bourque, led the league in shots during the 1994-1995 season. 

Burns is also a finalist for the Norris Trophy for best defenseman in the NHL. He becomes the first defender to be nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, since 2000, when Chris Pronger received a nomination as a member of the St. Louis Blues. 

Former Bruin and Hall of Famer, Bobby Orr is the only defenseman to win the award. Orr won the Ted Lindsay Award in 1975. 

Crosby, a three-time winner of the award (2007, 2013 & 2014) is also up for the Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player. Only former Penguin, Mario Lemieux (four) and the “Great One,” Wayne Gretzky (five) have won the Ted Lindsay Award more times than Crosby. 

The Penguins’ captain, led the NHL with 44 goals and was tied for second in points (89), with Patrick Kane of Chicago Blackhawks.   

McDavid, the reigning Rookie of the Year, led the NHL with 100 points (30 G & 70 A), as he helped guide his Oilers to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, since the team run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. 

With an average 21:07 ice time per game, he was a plus-27 and fourth place amongst NHL forwards. Also, up for the Hart Trophy, if McDavid captures the Ted Lindsay Award, he would join Gretzky (1982-1985, 1987) and Mark Messier (1990) as the only Oilers to do so. 

NBCSN in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada will broadcast the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft Live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada at 7:30 PM. T-Mobile Arena is the home of the NHL’s newest franchise the Vegas Golden Knights.