"Our whole group sort of coming together with the mindset that we were better than what we had shown the year before was basically our mission for the year, and it kind of capped off with a playoff berth," Bednar said at Tuesday's pre-awards media availability. "There is a lot to be proud of there and a lot to be thankful for in my case especially."
Bednar was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award given to the coach of the year, while MacKinnon was up for the Hart Memorial Trophy (league MVP) and Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA).
MacKinnon finished second to New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall for NHL MVP in what was the closest Hart race since 2013 when Alex Ovechkin edged Sidney Crosby by 32 points (1,090-1,058). Hall finished with 1,264 points (72 first-place votes), just 70 points ahead of MacKinnon, who had 1,194 points and 60 first-place votes. The Hart Trophy is selected by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar finished third in the MVP voting with 551 points (11 first-place votes)
MacKinnon and Hall had similar seasons, and each helped guide their clubs back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after several years of their respective squads missing out. MacKinnon had 39 goals and 97 points, while Hall recorded 39 goals and 93 points. MacKinnon scored 15 percent of the Avalanche's goals and had a hand in 38 percent of them, but Hall had 41 more points than the next player on the Devils' roster (Nico Hischier, 52 points).
With their statistical numbers similar and no clear-cut favorite, the announcement for the winner of the Hart Trophy became highly anticipated.
"We saw each other before the awards tonight, and we were joking around that we're now rivals," Hall said of MacKinnon following the award show. "The voting was so close, you could make an argument for all three candidates. You could have had all three guys up there, and it would have been perfectly valid. I'm honored to win out of those three guys."
