NEW YORK (April 17, 2019) – Center Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, center Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues and right wing Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights are the three finalists for the 2018-19 Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is awarded “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game,” the National Hockey League announced today.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Selke Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 19, during the 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Following are the finalists for the Selke Trophy, in alphabetical order:
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
Bergeron helped the Bruins tie for third in the NHL in goals-against per game (tie-2.59), leading the team in plus-minus (+23) and all Boston forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (1:42). He placed eighth in the NHL in face-off win percentage (56.6%, min. 750), marking the 10th consecutive season he has eclipsed the 56% mark. The 15-year Bruin has four career Selke wins, tied for the all-time lead with Montreal Canadiens forward Bob Gainey, who took home the prize in each of the first four years it was presented from 1978 through 1981. Bergeron is a Selke finalist for a record eighth consecutive year, extending his own mark in that category. In addition to his four Selke wins, Bergeron has a pair of second-place finishes and one third-place result.
Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues
O'Reilly led the NHL in face-off wins for the second consecutive season (1,086), joining Bergeron (2013-14 through 2016-17) as the only player to post 1,000+ face-off wins in four consecutive seasons since the statistic was introduced in 1997-98. O'Reilly's face-off win percentage (56.9%, min. 750) ranked seventh in the NHL. He led the Blues in plus-minus (+22) and topped all Blues forwards in average ice time per game (20:46). O'Reilly, winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2014 with the Colorado Avalanche, is a first-time Selke finalist. He is vying to become just the second Blues player in franchise history to capture the Selke, following Rick Meagher (1990).
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Stone led the NHL in takeaways for the fourth time in the past five seasons with 122 in 77 games with Ottawa and Vegas. The only player to record more takeaways than Stone in a single season is three-time Selke winner Pavel Datsyuk (144 in 2007-08, 132 in 2009-10 with Detroit). He is the first winger to be voted a Selke finalist since New Jersey's Jay Pandolfo (3rd in 2006-07) and could become the first to capture the trophy since Dallas' Jere Lehtinen in 2002-03. Stone is an NHL Awards finalist for the second time (2nd, Calder Trophy in 2014-15) and looks to join a quartet of Golden Knights who took home silverware last year in the team's inaugural season: George McPhee (GM of the Year), Gerard Gallant (Jack Adams Award), Deryk Engelland (Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award) and William Karlsson (Lady Byng Trophy).
History
The trophy was presented in 1977 by the National Hockey League Board of Governors in honor of Frank J. Selke, one of the great architects of Montreal and Toronto championship teams.
Announcement Schedule
The three finalists for NHL Trophies are being announced by NBC Sports in the United States and Sportsnet/TVA Sports in Canada during pregame programming for the Stanley Cup Playoffs through Sunday, April 28. The series of announcements continues on Thursday, April 18, when the three finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy will be unveiled.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.