Three Bruins receive honors at NHL Awards

NASHVILLE — The most prolific regular season in Boston’s hockey history came to an abrupt and unceremonious end this spring but three Bruins aren’t heading into the summer empty-handed.

At the NHL Awards in Nashville Monday, Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron won the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward for a sixth time, breaking his own record of five. At age 37, he led the league in faceoff wins and percentage and was only on the ice for 27 goals against at even strength in 78 games.

Many around the NHL expect Bergeron to retire but it’s not because the game is passing him by. This past season, Bergeron had 27 goals and 31 assists in 78 games, led the NHL with a 61.1 faceoff percentage and anchored the league’s best penalty kill.

Goaltender Linus Ullmark took home the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender. Ullmarker is the fifth goalie in Bruins history to win the award, the first since Tuukka Rask in 2014.

Ullmark was a key component of the Bruins’ record-breaking 135-point regular season, posting a league-leading 1.89 goals-against-average and .938 save percentage in 49 games.

Ullmark also set records offensively. During a February game against the Canucks’, Ullmark’s cross-ice heave into the Vancouver net was the first goal from a goalie in Bruins history.

Linus Ullmark SCORES.

3-1 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/uAzvKJF600
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 26, 2023

Jim Montgomery was also awarded with the Jack Adams Trophy as the league’s best head coach. Montgomery delivered a heartfelt speech describing his struggle with alcohol.

Jim Montgomery keeping it 💯 with an inspiring speech as the Jack Adams Award winner pic.twitter.com/cuL6ihCU5e
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 27, 2023