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Victor Petkov
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Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon awarded Hart Memorial Trophy
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The star forward was in the top-three for the award in 2018, 2020 and 2021, but didn't win it

Nathan MacKinnon, the star forward for the Colorado Avalanche, was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old beat out Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning for this prestigious honor.

MacKinnon also won the Ted Lindsay Award, which is voted on by his peers in the NHL Players’ Association and recognizes the league’s most outstanding player. MacKinnon had previously been a top-three finalist for the Hart Trophy in 2018, 2020, and 2021.

In his acceptance speech, MacKinnon acknowledged the strong competition from McDavid and Kucherov, expressing his gratitude and honor for receiving the award. He said, “Congrats to Kuch and Connor, it could easily be any of you guys. I think everyone knows it was such a toss-up this year. I’d like to thank the writers. I’m truly honored.”

MacKinnon had an exceptional 11th NHL season, achieving career highs with 51 goals, 89 assists, and 140 points, playing in all 82 games.