Nikita Kucherov Wins 2019 Hart Trophy

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished the regular season with not only the best record in the league, but with the best record in over 20 years in the NHL.

Regardless of how their playoff run went, they still had a historic season, which is why they had a lot of team members in Las Vegas for the NHL Awards Show.

The Lightning's best player this season was Nikita Kucherov, was given the ultimate NHL honor Wednesday night, earning his first-ever Hart Memorial Trophy, solidifying his spot as the best player in the NHL all season long.

For the first time in his career, @86Kucherov is a Hart Trophy Winner! #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/0jE4AaQb7g
— NHL (@NHL) June 20, 2019

Kucherov finished the regular season with the first 120+ point season since Crosby reached 120 points 12 years ago. The Lightning leading scorer finished the season with 128 points and a league-high 87 assists, good enough to be awarded the Hart Trophy and recognized as the best player of the season.

His 128 points stand as the most points in a single season in the past 23 years. The last player to exceed the 128-point threshold came in 1995-96 when Mario Lemieux finished the season with 161 points.

“You see all these players here that we compete against every night, and it means a lot to be here.”#NHLAwards | Nikita Kucherov: https://t.co/cdQI3lsDWa
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 19, 2019

Kucherov beat out arguably the two best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. McDavid contributed for more than 50% of the Edmonton Oilers goals last season, and finished the year with 116 total points.

Crosby also reached the 100-point mark, and brought his team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the third seed in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. Crosby hit 100 points in the last game of the regular season, and played in every scenario for his Pittsburgh Penguins.