Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux have been named finalists for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, the league said Thursday.
Canadian superstar Crosby is a finalist for the fourth time after leading the NHL with 104 points this season, registering at least one point in 60 of the 80 games he played.
Crosby scored 36 goals and led the league with 68 assists to capture his second Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer.
The 26-year-old Nova Scotia native captured the Hart Trophy in 2007 and finished as the runner-up in 2010 and again last year.
Getzlaf scored a career-high 31 goals and finished second in the NHL with 87 points to help the Ducks to the top record in the Western Conference.
He had a 14-game point streak from November 15-December 15, the longest in the NHL since the 2011-12 season.
The 28-year-old Canadian is a Hart finalist for the first time and could join teammate Corey Perry (2011) as the only Ducks to win the award.
Giroux, another Canadian, is also a Hart finalist for the first time after finishing third in the scoring race with 86 points. He matched a career best with 28 goals and had a great finish to the season with 79 points in his last 67 games to help the Flyers earn a playoff spot after a disastrous 3-9-0 start.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Hart Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.
The winner will be announced on June 24 at the league awards ceremony.