How Patrick Kane won the 2015-16 Hart Trophy

They tried to swerve us at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday. 

They had Sidney Crosby join the Pittsburgh Penguins on stage before the Hart Trophy was given out, and host Will Arnett made a reference to perhaps seeing him “soon.”

They had Michael Keaton, Pittsburgh Penguins superfan, handing out the Hart Trophy and putting Sidney Crosby over in the process as a “Stanley Cup champion” and “the captain.”

Was it possible that Crosby could upset Patrick Kane for the NHL MVP for 2015-16?

Nope. Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks won the Hart Trophy, after becoming the first U.S.-born player in League history to win the scoring title with 106 points.

Kane was “the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Kane received 121 first-place votes and appeared on each of the 150 ballots cast for 1,395 points. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, named on 145 ballots including 11 first-place tallies, finished second in voting with 800 points, followed by Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (637).

Here’s how the voting broke down:

Braden Holtby and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals were given first-place votes, as were Jaromir Jagr of the Florida Panthers, Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings and Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

But Kane, Crosby and Benn were the clear top three, and Kane was the clear No. 1.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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