Your savory breakfast links:
- M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P! Alex Ovechkin has been named the winner of the 2012-2013 Hart Trophy, awarded to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team, as voted upon by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. [NHL.com, Rink, Dump ‘n’ Chase, WaPo, CSNW, Eye on Hockey]
- Ovi thanks the Academy from somewhere in not-Chicago… [@WashCaps (video), RMNB (video)]
- …as he joins some elite company. [@ESPNStatsInfo]
- Thumbs up from his teammates… [@mjohansson90, @tom_wilso, @tbrouwer20, @StevenOleksy]
- …his sponsor … [@BauerHockey]
- …his agent … [@davidabrutyn]
- … and some folks back home sum it up in one nifty graphic. [@sports.ru]
- Polarize much? Ovi’s award has some folks cheering and others, sneering:
- Cheer: Here’s how he did it. [Puck Daddy, and look for our take soon]
- Sneer: Say, the award criteria kept us from voting for the guy we wanted to vote for! So let’s rewrite them or something. Because fairness. [Globe and Mail]
- Cheer: 2/3 of a cheer, anyway. The World Wide Leader’s panel breaks down who they voted for – and why. [ESPN (video)]
- Sneer: He was the right choice for the wrong reasons. [Toronto Sun]
- Cheer-y: IslesNation was hoping for better for John Tavares, but Ovi is in “seriously rarefied air.” [Lighthouse Hockey]
- Sneer-y: Weird award choices on a night of weirdness. Whatevs. [Sporting News]
- Oh and BTW, Ovechkin was also adjudged to be the MVP for fantasy owners, as well. [NHL.com]
- Finally, happy 32nd birthday to Alexandre Giroux, happy 35th to Dainius Zubrus, happy 59th to Tony White, and a stick salute for all the Dads, on their Day.