Giordano of Flames wins Norris Trophy

LAS VEGAS --Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL at the 2019 NHL Awards presented by Bridgestone on Wednesday.

Giordano finished second among NHL defensemen with 74 points (17 goals, 57 assists), his NHL career high, and led the NHL with a plus-39 rating. He led Calgary in average ice time per game (24:14), had 21 power-play points, six shorthanded points (four goals), and was an even or plus-rated player in 58 of 78 games this season.

He had 38 and 39 points the prior two seasons.

"No matter what level you're at, you're always going to have some doubt," Giordano said. "Those thoughts are always going to be there. I had a passion to play and I love the game so much. I'm a big fan of the game. I'm willing to put in the work, and hopefully I can keep playing at this level. Last year I felt really good physically, so hopefully I can keep going."

Giordano, Calgary's captain since 2013-14, helped the Flames (50-25-7) finish first in the Western Conference and second in the NHL with a plus-66 goal differential (Tampa Bay Lightning, plus-104).

RELATED: NHL Awards results

The 35-year-old became the fourth player age 35 or older to win the Norris Trophy since it was first awarded in 1954; Nicklas Lidstrom did it four times, Doug Harvey three times, and Al MacInnis once.

"I take a lot of pride working out off the ice, keeping myself in good shape. But still, it's not easy to play late into your 30s," Giordano said. "We're all aware of that as players, trying to last as long as you can. To be recognized at my age with this award is a moment that's really special for me and my family."

Giordano is the first player in Atlanta/Calgary Flames history to win the Norris Trophy, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the end of the regular season.

The other finalists were Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks and Victor Hedman of the Lightning. Burns led NHL defensemen in scoring with 84 points and is a three-time finalist, winning the award in 2016-17. Hedman, who won the Norris last season, has been a finalist each of the past three seasons.

2018-19 Norris Trophy voting
Pts. (1st-2nd-3rd-4th-5th)
1. Mark Giordano, CGY 1690 (165-5-1-0-0)
2. Brent Burns, SJS 720 (2-54-44-27-21)
3. Victor Hedman, TBL 585 (1-44-33-28-18)
4. John Carlson, WSH 551 (3-34-26-41-30)
5. Morgan Rielly, TOR 515 (0-28-33-37-43)
6. Kris Letang, PIT 145 (0-3-14-11-21)
7. Roman Josi, NSH 82 (0-2-2-13-19)
8. Ryan McDonagh, TBL 70 (0-0-9-7-4)
9. Seth Jones, CBJ 40 (0-1-5-1-5)
10. Mattias Ekholm, NSH 14 (0-0-1-3-0)
11. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI 5 (0-0-1-0-0)
Jake Muzzin, TOR 5 (0-0-1-0-0)
Jared Spurgeon, MIN 5 (0-0-1-0-0)
14. Dougie Hamilton, CAR 4 (0-0-0-1-1)
15. Erik Karlsson, SJS 4 (0-0-0-0-4)
16. Zdeno Chara, BOS 3 (0-0-0-1-0)
Jaccob Slavin, CAR 3 (0-0-0-1-0)
18. Thomas Chabot, OTT 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Esa Lindell, DAL 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Brett Pesce, CAR 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Jeff Petry, MTL 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Ryan Suter, MIN 1 (0-0-0-0-1)