Chara, Keith, Weber voted Norris Trophy finalists

NEW YORK – Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators are the three finalists for the 2013-14 James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association submitted ballots for the Norris Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Tuesday, June 24, during the 2014 NHL Awards from Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. The 2014 NHL Awards will be broadcast by NBCSN in the United States and CBC in Canada.

Following are the finalists for the Norris Trophy, in alphabetical order:

Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Chara led a Boston defense that paced the Eastern Conference and ranked second in the NHL in goals against (177), helping the Bruins capture their second Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history and first since 1989-90. He averaged a team-high 24:39 of ice time per game, nearly 3 minutes more than the next-closest player, and also placed in the top 10 among NHL defensemen in goals (17), plus/minus (+25), power-play goals (10) and game-winning goals (3). Chara is a Norris Trophy finalist for the sixth time, including the third time in the past four seasons, and won the award in 2008-09.

Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

Keith led all defensemen with 55 assists and ranked second among blueliners with 61 points to power a Chicago offense that paced the NHL with 267 goals. He recorded his 40th helper of the season in his 46th game, becoming the fastest defenseman in franchise history to reach the milestone, and posted a career-long, eight-game assist/point streak from Nov. 19 to Dec. 3. Keith played a team-high average of 24:38 per game, topping the Blackhawks in ice time for the ninth time in as many NHL seasons. He is a Norris Trophy finalist for the second time after capturing the award in 2009-10.

Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

Weber ranked first among defensemen with 23 goals and set a franchise record for points by a blueliner with 56, leading the Predators in scoring for the second consecutive season. He also paced all defensemen in power-play goals (12), ranked fourth in the League in average time on ice (26:54) and set a career high in shooting percentage (11.8%). Weber got better as the season progressed, posting 14-20—34, three game-winning goals and a +11 rating in the final 42 games of 2013-14. He is a Norris Trophy finalist for the third time after finishing as runner-up for the award in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.

History

The James Norris Memorial Trophy was presented in 1953 by the four children of the late James Norris in memory of the former owner-president of the Detroit Red Wings.