Datsyuk earns sixth Lady Byng finalist nomination
They should just rename the Lady Byng trophy the Pavel Datsyuk trophy. The forward earned his sixth Lady Byng nomination of his career Tuesday when the NHL named him as one of three finalists for the year end award.
The other two finalists are Jiri Hudler (Calgary Flames) and Anze Kopitar (LA Kings).
Datsyuk won the Lady Byng, which is given "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability" in four consecutive seasons (2006-2009) and was also a finalist for the award in 2010. He finished third that season.
The forward ranked second on the team in scoring in the regular season with 65 points in 63 games. That total is even more impressive considering Datsyuk missed 19 games due to injury. He also tallied just eight penalty minutes this season, his lowest penalty minutes-per-game ratio since his rookie season.
Hudler posted 76 points with 14 penalty minutes and Kopitar tallied 64 points and 10 penalty minutes.
