Crosby Finalist For Hart Trophy As League's MVP

In what may have been the worst kept secret going the last 4-6 weeks, the NHL announced today the three finalists for the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, and to nobody's surprise, the list consists of the 3 top scorers in the league this season:

Center Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.

LW Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

And the hometown hero, Center Sidney Crosby of the Penguins.

Despite the obvious finalist choices, the Hart Trophy race is pretty tough to handicap this year. I don't think any one of the three is a heads-and-shoulders choice over the other two.

Sedin had a fantastic season for the Canucks, and he led the league in scoring this year with 112 points, 3 more than Crosby or Ovechkin.

For his part, Sid led the league in goal-scoring with 51, tying for top honors with Tampa Bay Lightning wunderkind Steven Stamkos, and finished 2nd in the overall scoring race.

Ovechkin, meanwhile, probably had what would be considered an off-year for him, with 50 goals and 59 assists, albeit in only 72 games.

If anyone has the inside track, it's probably #8, simply because the dynamic flair he brings to the ice night in and night out is appreciated by so many throughout the league, but it would be folly to rule out Sedin, who rose up the NHL radar so much this year it's hard not to be immensely impressed by the season he had.

Crosby, meanwhile, has a few things going for his candidacy, too. His partner-in-crime in Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin, had what was generally considered a bad season, making Crosby's year that much more impressive. Take #87 away from the Penguins and the drop off is a lot more notable than, for example, what happens if you take Ovechkin from the Capitals' lineup.

Either way, the race is going to be tight. Ovechkin has won the last two Harts, so it's very possible that the voters will look in a different direction in a close race.

Let's hope they look in the direction of the guy who plays for the local hockey club.

The winner will be announced at the NHL's annual awards gala June 23 in Las Vegas.