Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin won the Hart Memorial Trophy Saturday, the third time he has been named NHL MVP in the last six years.
The 27-year-old underwent a career renaissance this season, leading the league with 32 goals in 48 games -- all while adjusting to a position change from left wing to right wing -- including 23 over the final 23 games as the Capitals rebounded from a 2-8-1 start to win the Southeast Division.
Ovechkin, who also won the Hart Trophy in 2008 and 2009, earned 50 first-place votes, besting Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby by just 32 points -- the smallest margin of victory in 11 years -- and New York Islanders forward John Tavares.
He is the eighth player in NHL history to win the award at least three times, joining Howie Morenz, Eddie Shore, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
Ovechkin, however, did not win the Ted Lindsay Award; Crosby earned the distinction as the most outstanding player as voted on by fellow players.
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