On Thursday the National Hockey League announced the finalists for the 2013-2014 Frank J. Selke Trophy. Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings were all named as finalists. The Selke Trophy is awarded to the forward that best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association voted on this award. The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards Show on June 24th, at the Encore Theater at the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
Bergeron is not a stranger to this award. This is his third consecutive season that he has been a finalist for this award. He won this award in 2012, and was the runner-up to Jonathan Toews last season. Bergeron led the NHL in face-off wins, and also ranked second in the NHL in plus-minus with a career high +38 rating. He was a huge reason that the Boston Bruins had the best defensive record in the Eastern Conference by only allowing 2.08 goals per game.
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
This is the first time that Anze Kopitar has been nominated for the Selke, and he is also the first Los Angeles King ever nominated. Kopitar was ranked fourth in the NHL with a career high +34 plus-minus. He was also a force in the face-off circle winning 53.5% of his draws. If that was not enough he played all 82 games, and had the second most minutes played amongst NHL forwards. Kopitar has proven to all that he is one of the elite, and most complete players in the league.
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews won this award last season, and this is his third time being nominated for the Selke Trophy. Toews is a face-off wizard. This year he won 57.2% of the face-offs. He also led the league in ice time for forwards with an average of 20:28 minutes played. Toews also had a very solid plus-minus at +26. Toews is known as one of the most complete players in the league. He is also known for his great leadership qualities as a captain. Lets face it the man gets it done in the clutch, and definitely leads by example.
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