MacKinnon, Bednar Finalists At 2018 NHL Awards

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and head coach Jared Bednar will be recognized at the 2018 NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday as they are finalists for a combined three awards.
MacKinnon is a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award. The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team, voted on by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The Ted Lindsay Award is presented to the most outstanding player, chosen by the members of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings) and Taylor Hall (New Jersey Devils) are also finalists for the Hart Trophy while the other finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award are Hall and Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers).
It is MacKinnon's first time being named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award and would be only the second Avalanche player (Joe Sakic) to be named the most outstanding by his peers.

MacKinnon finished the campaign second in the NHL with 1.31 points per game, just .01 behind McDavid. The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native tallied 97 points (39 goals, 58 assists) and led the Avalanche with career highs in all three scoring categories. He represented Colorado at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game and finished the season fifth in the league in points and tied for ninth in goals. MacKinnon was credited with 12 game-winning goals in 2017-18, tied for the NHL lead as well as the most in franchise history (Joe Sakic, 2000-01). The 22-year-old also recorded 13 three-point performances, the second in the NHL and the most by an Av since 2002-03 (Peter Forsberg, 14).
A first-time finalist for both the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay, MacKinnon is looking to become the third player in franchise history to win the Hart (Sakic, 2000-01; Forsberg, 2002-03) only the second Avalanche player (Sakic, 2000-01) ever to be awarded the Ted Lindsay Award.

Bednar is one of the Jack Adams Award finalists, along with Bruce Cassidy (Boston Bruins) and Gerard Gallant (Vegas Golden Knights). The Jack Adams Award is given annually to the coach voted best in the NHL.
In his second season as head coach, Bednar led the Avalanche to one of the best single-season turnarounds in NHL history. Colorado clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth for the first time since the 2013-14 season with 95 points (43-30-9), a 47-point increase from the 2016-17 campaign. Bednar also coached the Avalanche to 28 home wins this season, tying its previous record set back in 2000-01. He is a first-time finalist for the award, and if he wins, would become the third coach of the Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques to win the award (Patrick Roy, 2013-14; Marc Crawford, 1994-95).
The 2018 NHL Awards will be held on Wednesday, June 20, at The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. The event can be watched live on NBCSN in the United States and on Sportsnet in Canada, starting at 6 p.m. MT.