Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins won the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in the NHL at the 2017 NHL Awards and NHL Expansion Draft presented by T-Mobile in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Bergeron, 31, who also received the honor in 2012, 2014 and 2015, joined Hockey Hall of Famer Bob Gainey, who presented the award, as the only players to win the Selke four times. The other finalists were Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Kesler and Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu.
"It was one of those moments when you get a little emotional to receive the award from one of the legends of the game and someone I looked up to (Gainey), one of the top 100 players of the past century. So, it's special," Bergeron said.
Bergeron, a six-time Selke finalist, led the League in shot attempts percentage (61.10) among players with at least 40 games. He also led the NHL in faceoff wins (1,089) and was third in winning percentage (60.1) among players to take at least 500 faceoffs behind Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (62.6) and Ducks center Antoine Vermette (62.3).
Bergeron's 302 shots on goal were third in the League and the second-most of his NHL career. His 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) in 79 games were fourth on the Bruins.
Selected by the Bruins in the second round (No. 45) of the 2003 NHL Draft, Bergeron has 671 points (259 goals, 412 assists) in 899 games over 13 NHL seasons, all with Boston. He won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games. Bergeron has 70 points (25 goals, 45 assists) in 101 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"I think being a defensive forward has evolved over the years," Bergeron said. "With the speed of the game and the way players skate now, you have to be on your toes to defend and be good defensively. But it's like everything; things evolve and change and it's the same way with the game and any position."
Kesler, 32, won the Selke with the Canucks in 2011 and is a five-time finalist. His 1,029 faceoff wins were third in the League and an NHL career high. He also ranked third in time on ice among forwards (21:18) and sixth in faceoff percentage (57.4) among players with a minimum of 500 draws. His 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) were second on the Ducks. He was third in Selke voting in 2016.
Koivu, 34, was a first-time finalist after he finished fourth in Selke voting in 2009. The Wild captain set NHL career highs in plus/minus (plus-27) and blocked shots (65), and won 55.2 percent of his faceoffs (16th in NHL). His 58 points (18 goals, 40 assists) were third on the Wild.
Pts. (1st-2nd-3rd-4th-5th)
- Patrice Bergeron, BOS 1147 (71-39-24-11-11)
- Ryan Kesler, ANA 945 (45-45-25-15-10)
- Mikko Koivu, MIN 752 (28-34-28-28-10)
- Mikael Backlund, CGY 310 (3-12-26-16-18)
- Jonathan Toews, CHI 273 (5-9-17-17-24)
- Mark Stone, OTT 113 (0-2-7-16-16)
- Nicklas Backstrom, WSH 111 (1-6-4-9-12)
- John Tavares, NYI 80 (1-5-2-6-7)
- Jordan Staal, CAR 55 (1-3-2-3-5)
- Sidney Crosby, PIT 51 (3-1-2-1-1)
- Ryan O'Reilly, BUF 51 (0-1-5-4-7)
- Brad Marchand, BOS 50 (1-3-3-1-1)
- Mikael Granlund, MIN 33 (0-1-1-6-3)
- Marian Hossa, CHI 31 (1-0-2-3-2)
- Anze Kopitar, LAK 30 (0-0-2-5-5)
- Connor McDavid, EDM 28 (1-0-2-2-2)
- Aleksander Barkov, FLA 21 (1-0-1-1-3)
- Henrik Zetterberg, DET 21 (0-1-2-1-1)
- T.J. Oshie, WSH 20 (2-0-0-0-0)
- Nazem Kadri, TOR 19 (0-1-2-0-2)
