TORONTO, 12 June 2004 — Martin St. Louis, who just two years ago was a little known forward on a second-rate team, capped off a dream NHL season on Thursday, adding a Hart Trophy to the Stanley Cup he won earlier in the week.
St. Louis was the big winner at the annual National Hockey League Awards in Toronto, taking home not only the Hart for most valuable player in the league, but also the Art Ross trophy as the league’s point leader.
Earlier in the day, he was awarded the Lester B Pearson Award, which honors the league’s best performer as voted by the players themselves. “It hasn’t really sunk in. Obviously I’m still on a high from winning the Cup. That’s still the most important trophy for me,” he said.
The diminutive player — he stands 5ft-9ins in a league dominated by six-footers — was a force in Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup victory over the upstart Calgary Flames. He scored a Game Six overtime goal that kept the Lightning’s Cup hopes alive, and led all players with 15 assists in the playoffs. Standing to accept his trophies, he still bore the facial scars earned during the playoff run, which concluded with the Lightning victory on Monday.
St. Louis edged out New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur and Calgary Flames sniper Jarome Iginla for the Hart Trophy, and was one of three award-winners for the Lightning.
Neither Brodeur nor Iginla went home empty handed, however, as both took home trophies that they have won before. Brodeur won the Vezina Trophy as the leagues’ top goaltender, after leading the NHL in wins with 38 and notching 11 shutouts.
The goalie has now won two-straight Vezinas in his early 30s after repeatedly being passed over earlier in his career. “Definitely, when you get Dominik Hasek out of the way, it helped me out,” he quipped, referring to the Czech goalie who took home six Vezinas between 1994 and 2001.
Iginla was co-winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy, given to the league’s top goal scorer. Iginla, who won the award outright in 2002, had to share the trophy this time around with two youngsters: the Atlanta Thrashers’ Ilya Kovalchuk and the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Rick Nash. With possible labor stoppages looming this autumn as players and owners square off to renegotiate the current collective bargaining agreement, this may be the last positive NHL moment for some time.
Taking home the Calder Trophy for best rookie was Boston Bruins goaltender Andrew Raycroft while Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella took home the Jack Adams Trophy as best coach.
Tortorella was just one of several faces from the Stanley Cup final to take home silverware, joining St. Louis, Iginla, and Brad Richards, who won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship, to add to his Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Tortorella, who has taken the Lightning from the league cellar to the top of the hockey pile in his three and a half years at the helm, was quick to deflect praise for his success. “I think the reason that we’ve had our success is we believe it’s about a team,” he said. “It’s about the players, they’re the ones that have to go through the pressure.”
Taking home the Norris Trophy for top defenseman was Scott Neidermayer of the New Jersey Devils.
