Ovechkin Named Rookie of Year

"I'm very happy right now," Alex Ovechkin said. "I'm glad it's over. It means a lot. I think a lot about if I could win the Calder Trophy after the season." (Lyle Stafford - Reuters)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin was named the NHL's rookie of the year last night in Vancouver, B.C., beating out Pittsburgh Penguins phenom Sidney Crosby and putting to rest one of this season's hottest debates.

Ovechkin, who finished third in the league in scoring with 52 goals and 106 points, is the first Capital to earn the Calder Trophy. He also became the first Capital forward to be named an NHL first-team all-star.

"I'm very happy right now," Ovechkin said. "I'm glad it's over. It means a lot. I think a lot about if I could win the Calder Trophy after the season."

Asked if he allowed himself to daydream about it during the year, he laughed and said, "Yeah, a little bit."

San Jose's Joe Thornton won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player; Buffalo's Lindy Ruff captured the Jack Adams as coach of the year; Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom grabbed the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman; and Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff took home the Vezina as the top goaltender.

Ovechkin was also a finalist for the Lester B. Pearson Award, but it went to Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers. The Pearson recognizes the most outstanding player as voted by his peers.

Viewed by many as the most talented player to enter the NHL since Mario Lemieux two decades earlier, Ovechkin, the Capitals' first overall pick in 2004, wasted no time proving the hype surrounding him was well deserved.

The 20-year-old Moscow native scored two goals on opening night. Four months later, he captured the sporting world's attention by whacking the puck into the net while sliding on his back -- a play that has come to be known simply as "The Goal." By season's end, Ovechkin had solidified his place in league history by joining Teemu Selanne as the only rookies to record 50 goals and 100 points.

But Ovechkin wasn't always the favorite to win the Calder. Before the season, the trophy had all but been handed to Crosby, the Penguins' first overall pick last year, by the Canadian media, which had chronicled his career since he was in juniors. Ovechkin was a near-unanimous selection, receiving 124 of 129 first-place votes and five second-place votes for 1,275 points.

Crosby, 18, had a similarly stellar season, becoming the youngest player to score 100 points. But Ovechkin's scoring flair and board-rattling body checks endeared him to fans and won over the hockey writers, who determine the winner by vote.

By midseason, fans were flocking to arenas to watch Ovechkin play, many wearing his No. 8 Capitals jersey. Hockey equipment giant CCM made him the centerpiece of its marketing campaign, and yesterday Electronic Arts announced Ovechkin will appear on the cover of its popular hockey video game.

"I want to say thanks to the whole Washington Capitals organization, the coaches and all my team guys, they are excellent boys," Ovechkin said on stage at Vancouver's Center for Performing Arts. "I also want to thank my linemates, Dainius Zubrus and Chris Clark. They do a great job."

Capitals goaltender Olie Kolzig was also recognized last night. He received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for contributions to his community. Kolzig founded Athletes Against Autism and the Carson Kolzig Foundation, named after his son, who is autistic.

"It means a lot when you receive an award for what you do on the ice," said Kolzig, the 2000 Vezina Trophy winner. "But ultimately you are remembered as a person as much as a player. That makes an honor like this that much more valued to me."