New York, NY

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews edged out fellow Stanley Cup finalist Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins for the Frank J. Selke Trophy award as NHL's top defensive forward.

"It means the world," Toews said about receiving the award, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

He earned 75 first-place votes and had 1,260 points in the tiered point system, while Bergeron had 78 first-place votes and 1,250 points. Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk was third with 737 votes.

Toews and Datsyuk were tied for the league lead with 56 takeaways this season. The former also won 55 percent of his faceoffs while posting 23 goals and 25 assists.

While he had just one goal in the postseason, Toews' relentless work in the corners and backchecking made him one of the important players for the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final.

"He's the ultimate player, as far as in all zones," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenne-ville said.

Ottawa's Paul MacLean won the Jack Adams as coach of the year, Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis won the Lady Byng for combining excellence with gentlemanly play, and Pittsburgh's Ray Shero was named general manager of the year. Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson won the Mark Messier Leadership Award over Toews.

 

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Blackhawks Jonathan Toews Named NHL's Top Defensive Forward