NEW YORK -- Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was one of three finalists for the NHL Hart Trophy -- awarded to the player judged "the most valuable to his team" -- but the honor went south.

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Message Board: Jump On Our Pens Board

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Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy, in addition to the Lester B. Pearson Award, given by the NHL Players' Association to the league's player of the year.

Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points, edged finalists Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Malkin.

"I think I'm the happiest 22-year-old guy on the planet," Ovechkin said. "Everything I've got I make myself. I'm working hard and I know it's improving."

Ovechkin was the first player to score 60 goals since Mario Lemieux in 1996.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association submit ballots for the trophy at the end of the regular season.

This was the first time Malkin has been nominated for the trophy. During the regular season, he led the Pens in scoring and finished second in the league to Ovechkin with 106 points (47 goals, 59 assists) in 82 games.

He also posted 15-game point streak, the longest by a Russian player in NHL history, and tallied 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 28 games while Pens captain Sidney Crosby -- the Hart Trophy recipient in 2007 -- was sidelined with an ankle injury during the second half of the season.

It is also the first time Ovechkin has been nominated and the third time for Iginla.

Other Award Recipients

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Gordie Howe
• Richard Trophy (NHL's highest goal-scorer): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, 65 goals
• William M. Jennings Trophy (NHL's goaltenders playing in a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals allowed): Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek, Detroit Red Wings
• Frank J. Selke Trophy (NHL's best defensive forward): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
• King Clancy Trophy (NHL's humanitarian contribution to hockey): Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Professional Hockey Writers' Association's player who best exemplifies the qualities of perserverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey): Jason Blake, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Lady Byng Trophy (NHL's player exhibiting sportsmanship and gentlemanly play combined with playing ability): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
• Jack Adams Award (NHL's coach of the year): Bruce Boudreau, Washington Capitals
• Frank J. Selke Trophy (NHL's defensive forward): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
• Calder Trophy (NHL's outstanding rookie): Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
• Norris Trophy (NHL's outstanding defenseman): Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
• Vezina Trophy (NHL's outstanding goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
• Hart Trophy (NHL's player most valuable to his team): Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

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