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Crosby, McDavid, Kucherov are 2019 Hart Trophy finalists

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Award announcement season is almost at a close as the NHL has revealed the finalists for the 2018-19 Hart Trophy, which is given to “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers are your three finalists, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of the 2018-19 NHL regular season.

The Hart Memorial Trophy was presented by the NHL in 1960 after the original Hart Trophy was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The original Hart Trophy was donated to the NHL in 1924 by Dr. David A. Hart, father of Cecil Hart, former manager-coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

The winner will be announced on June 19 (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN) at the 2019 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

The Case For Sidney Crosby: The Penguins captain finished tied for fifth in the NHL in scoring this season with 100 points (35 goals) in 79 games. It was the sixth time in his career he reached the 100-point mark, and he trails only Wayne Gretzky (15), Mario Lemieux (10), Marcel Dionne (8), Mike Bossy (7) and Peter Stastny (7) as players with the most consecutive 100-point seasons. He was also tied for fifth in points per game (1.27) and tied for eighth with 3.62 points per 60 minutes. He was also the team leader with 69 points at 5-on-5. Already a two-time MVP, Crosby is a seven-time finalist and would be the ninth player in league history if he wins a third one.

The Case For Nikita Kucherov: The 2018-19 Art Ross Trophy winner, Kucherov recorded 128 points, the most by any NHL player since 1995-96, and his 87 assists were the most by a player since 2006-07. He recorded at least one point in 62 of 82 games this season and had 38 multi-point games, including two nights where he finished with five points. He averaged 1.56 points per game, the highest since Jaromir Jagr’s 1.57 in 1998-99. Only McDavid (81) had more even strength points than Kucherov’s 80. The Lightning forward would be the second player in franchise history to win the award, joining Martin St. Louis, who was voted winner in 2003-04.

The Case For Connor McDavid: The Oilers’ captain recorded his third straight 100-point season, finishing behind Kucherov in the Art Ross Trophy race with 116 points. He had a hand in 50.7 percent of Edmonton’s 229 goals (41) this season, the best in the NHL. He became the eighth player in NHL history to fail to go consecutive games without a point and led all forwards with 22:50 of ice time a night. He also recorded a league-best 81 even strength points. A Hart winner in 2016-17, McDavid is seeking to join Wayne Gretzky as the second player in league history to win multiple MVPs before turning 23 years old.

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MORE 2019 NHL AWARD FINALISTS
Selke Trophy
Lady Bing Trophy
Masteron Trophy
Norris Trophy
Ted Lindsay Award
Calder Trophy
Jack Adams Award

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.