>>Patrick Kane Named NHL MVP, Panarin Rookie of the Year
Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane took home the MVP and Ted Lindsay Award, while his teammate and linemate, Artemi Panarin, took home the Rookie of the Year award (Calder). Meanwhile, Kings teammates Anze Kopitar (Selke Trophy, Lady Byng) and Drew Doughty (Norris Trophy) also were big winners.
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby became the third different Capitals goalie to win the Vezina Trophy, while Barry Trotz took home the coach of the year.
Kane becomes the first American-born player to do so since Billy Burch (born in Yonkers, New York) all the way back in 1925 as a member of the Hamilton Tigers. He is the first Chicago Blackhawks player since Stan Mikita to win it.
Not only did Kane win it, he won in a landslide, collecting more than 120 out of the 150 first-place votes.
Kane finished the regular season with 106 points (46 goals and 60 assists), finishing 17 points ahead of Benn. It is only the second time in NHL history a player recorded at least 100 points in a season where no other player in the league recorded at least 90 points (Sidney Crosby also did it during the 2013-14 season for the Pittsburgh Penguins).
The runner-up for the award, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, had only 11. Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn finished in third in the voting with eight first-place votes.
Panarin finished the regular season not only as the leading rookie scorer, but also as the 10th leading scorer in the league among all players with 77 points (30 goals and 47 assists).
He is the first Chicago Blackhawks player to win the rookie of the year award since Patrick Kane in 2007.
Also Wednesday night, the NHL announced they would be expanding to Las Vegas.
>>NHL Schedule Released: Blues, Blackhawks To Play Outdoor Game in St. Louis
The NHL announced the schedule for the new season Tuesday.
The NHL season will start on Oct. 12, 11 days after the final game of the World Cup of Hockey which runs Sept. 17 to Oct. 1. This will be the first season in which each team has an official bye week, during which teams will have a mandatory five days without games in the second half of the season. Those bye weeks come between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, except for the Anaheim Ducks, who will have a bye week from Feb. 25 to March 3.
One of the league's great rivalries will get the outdoor treatment as the St. Louis Blues will take on the Chicago Blackhawks at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. Chicago will be playing in their third Winter Classic, while the league's signature regular-season is played west of the Mississippi River (just barely) for the first time ever.
Heins Field in Pittsburgh, BMO Field in Toronto, and Investors Group FIeld in Winnipeg will be the sites of the other outdoor games next season.
The All-Star game is set for Los Angeles, California at Staples Center.
