NHL Awards 2016 Results, Winners, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

On the same day the NHL announced it awarded Las Vegas the league's 31st franchise, the city hosted the NHL Awards.     

With some of the biggest names in hockey in attendance Wednesday night, the league gave recognition where it was due, as the results below reflect:  

Award	Recipient	Team
Calder Memorial Trophy	Artemi Panarin	Chicago Blackhawks
Ted Lindsay Award	Patrick Kane	Chicago Blackhawks
General Manager of the Year	Jim Rutherford	Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Trophy	Jaromir Jagr	Florida Panthers
Mark Messier Leadership Award	Shea Weber	Nashville Predators
King Clancy Award	Henrik Sedin	Vancouver Canucks
NHL Foundation Player Award	Mark Giordano	Calgary Flames
James Norris Memorial Trophy	Drew Doughty	Los Angeles Kings
Frank J. Selke Trophy	Anze Kopitar	Los Angeles Kings
Jack Adams Award	Barry Trotz	Washington Capitals
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy	Anze Kopitar	Los Angeles Kings
Vezina Trophy	Braden Holtby	Washington Capitals
Hart Memorial Trophy	Patrick Kane	Chicago Blackhawks

Notable Awards

Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin led off the night with his reception of the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year. 

The 24-year-old, who previously competed professionally in the Kontinental Hockey League, led all rookies with 30 goals along with 47 assists. 

He reaped the benefits of playing on a line with Patrick Kane as the two formed one of the most explosive scoring duos in hockey. The NHL showed how they played off each other last season:

However, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times saw something fishy in the amount of votes Panarin received—it was the same number as the one on Kane's back:

While Panarin was smooth on the ice all season, he had a harder time on the stage after young presenter and actor Jacob Tremblay left him hanging, as RotoWire's Brady Trettenero showed:

The Edmonton Oilers' No. 1 pick in 2015, Connor McDavid—who played in just 45 games—along with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere fell short in the voting.

Ted Lindsay Award (Most Outstanding Player Voted by the Players): Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Kane put up one of the greatest seasons by an American in NHL history, and he reaped the benefits Wednesday.

He won the Ted Lindsay Award shortly after his linemate, Panarin, took the Calder Trophy, making him the first player born in the United States to win it.

The NHL Players' Association congratulated him:

Kane was the first American player since Doug Weight in 1995-96 to record over 100 points in a season. He had a career-high 46 goals and 60 assists for a total of 106 points. 

He beat out Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars and Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals. 

James Norris Memorial Trophy (Top Defenseman): Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

The third time was the charm for Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, who was nominated for the Norris Trophy twice before but never won. 

Fox Sports West's Patrick O'Neal was already preparing his viewers for how many times he'll mention Doughty's victory:

Doughty recorded 14 goals and 37 assists last season while compiling a plus-24 rating and 105 blocked shots. 

Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators and Brent Burns of the Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks were also in the running. 

Frank J. Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward): Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Doughty's teammate Anze Kopitar took the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward. 

Kopitar was one of Los Angeles' most productive offensive players with 25 goals and 49 assists, and he recorded a plus-34 rating for the second time in three seasons. 

Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times believes this was an honor that came a few years late for the absent Kopitar:

Kings legend and current president of business operations Luc Robitaille accepted the award for Kopitar, who was back home in Slovenia. 

Kopitar beat a pair of previous winners in the Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron and the Anaheim Ducks' Ryan Kesler.

Jack Adams Award (Head Coach of the Year): Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals

In just his second season with the Washington Capitals, Barry Trotz led his team to the Presidents' Trophy.

Washington (56-18-8) topped 100 points for the second straight year with 120. Like Doughty, this was the third time Trotz was up for a major award. Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski expressed his joy at the result:

Florida Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant and Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff were also nominated.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship Award): Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Kopitar nabbed his second award of the evening by having gentlemanly conduct on the ice all season. In 81 games, he recorded just 16 penalty minutes. 

Last season, he had fewer penalty minutes in 79 games (10), but he finished third in the Lady Byng voting behind Jiri Hudler (formerly of the Calgary Flames) and Pavel Datsyuk (formerly of the Detroit Red Wings). 

However, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette saw a problem with Kopitar receiving the award:

Panthers center Aleksander Barkov and Bruins right winger Loui Eriksson were also in contention.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender): Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

Holtby added the Vezina Trophy—the highest honer an NHL goaltender can receive—to a historic season. 

Backstopping the Presidents' Trophy winners, Holtby won a league-leading 48 games, tying Martin Brodeur for the most in a single season in NHL history. 

To go with those wins, Holtby posted a .922 save percentage and a sterling 2.20 goals-against average. 

The NHL on NBC showed Holtby receiving his award:

Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jonathan Quick of the Kings finished behind Holtby.

Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player): Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Adding to Kane's list of firsts, he became the first American to win the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP. He is also the first Blackhawk to win the Hart since Hall of Famer Stan Mikita in 1968. 

Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press broke down the voting results:

The NHL on NBC showed actor and noted Penguins fan Michael Keaton presenting Kane with the Hart:

Kane beat out a pair of Canadians in the Dallas Stars' Jamie Benn and Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby. 

Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com.