Tampa Bay Lightning F Nikita Kucherov cleaned up at 2019 NHL Awards

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov cleaned up last night at the 2019 NHL Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, bringing home three awards.

The Tampa Bay Lightning was very well represented last night at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, as all the best in brightest in hockey gathered for the 2019 NHL Awards. There was a total of three players and one coach who were nominated for awards, but one stood out among all the rest.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov cleaned house last night by bringing home not one, not two, but three awards at the yearly celebration of talent. One of these awards was known to the Bolts Nation well ahead of time.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded to end the 2018-19 NHL Regular Season, it was announced that Nikita Kucherov would bring home the Art Ross Trophy, which is awarded to the player who leads the league in points scored at the close of the season.

Kucherov had a tremendous, record-setting season with the Tampa Bay Lightning this year. The 26-year-old Russian winger played in all 82 games with the Bolts in the regular season. In that amount of time, Kucherov brought home 41 goals and 87 assists for a whopping total of 128 points. Kucherov’s nearest competition was Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid who had 41 goals and 75 assists for a total of 116 points.

Given the accolades mentioned above, it should come as no surprise Kucherov captured his next award. Nikita Kucherov was also awarded the Hart Trophy. The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player who is considered to be the Most Valuable Player in the NHL. When you have the kind of season Kucherov did, you’re bound to bring home some extra hardware at the end of the season.

The third award Kucherov brought home last night in Vegas is a rather special one. It’s one thing for your fans to think you’re amazing. It’s a whole other story when this praise comes from your peers. Nikita Kucherov was awarded the Ted Lindsay Award. The Ted Lindsay Award is awarded to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted on by the NHL Players’ Association.

Kucherov was incredibly thankful in his acceptance speech for the Ted Lindsay Award. He was incredibly quick to thank the Tampa Bay Lightning fans for always being there and supporting him. Kucherov also made sure to thank his teammates and the Lightning coaching staff, for whom he claimed he couldn’t have won without. He also thanked his wife and son for always being by his side.

The Tampa Bay Lightning may not have had the fairytale ending everyone was hoping for in the postseason, but the Bolts did have one of the best and most memorable seasons they have had in recent history. While there are some negatives that still need to be addressed, there are a lot of positives heading into next season.

Kucherov’s point totals have elevated every single season since joining the Lightning roster in the 2013-14 season. If you think about the amazing things he achieved this year, just think of what the 2019-20 season holds in store for Kucherov and the rest of the Lightning locker room.