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MacKinnon wins Lady Byng Award

September 11, 2020, 8:28 PM ET [2 Comments]
Rick Sadowski
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • RSSArchiveCONTACT
In what could turn out to be a hat trick of NHL awards for Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche center on Friday was announced as the winner of the Lady Byng Award.

The award goes to the player deemed to have “exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

Voting was done by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association after the regular season.

MacKinnon finished fifth in NHL scoring with 93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games. He had 12 minutes in penalties.



MacKinnon, 25, is the third player in franchise history to win the award, joining Joe Sakic in 2001 and Ryan O’Reilly in 2014.

MacKinnon received 64 first-place votes. Toronto’s Auston Matthews (21 first-place votes) was second in overall voting and O’Reilly (10) was third.

MacKinnon is the third player in the past 20 years to collect more than 90 points with 12 or fewer penalty minutes, joining Aleksander Barkov (96 points, eight penalty minutes in 2018-19) and Martin St. Louis (99 points, 12 PIM in 2010-11 and 94 points, 12 PIM in 2009-10).

MacKinnon also is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, which is awarded to the league’s Most Valuable Player in balloting by the PHWA, and the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given to the most outstanding player, voted by fellow members of the NHL Players' Association.

Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin are also finalists for those awards.

Cale Makar is a finalist for the Calder Trophy, which is awarded to the league’s best rookie, along with Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Chicago’s Dominik Kubalik.

Those awards will be presented during the Stanley Cup Final at a date to be determined.

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The 2020 NHL draft will be held remotely Oct. 6-7. The first round will take place Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. MT, with Rounds 2-7 held the next day, beginning at 9:30 a.m. MT. Broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

The NHL free agent market will open Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. MT.

The main Avalanche unrestricted free agents: forwards Vladislav Namestnikov, Matt Nieto and Colin Wilson; defenseman Kevin Connauton; and goalie Michael Hutchinson.



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