The Philadelphia Flyers website reports that captain Mike Richards was named a finalist for the Selke Award this season. The Selke is awarded to the top defensive forward in the NHL. Richards will have to beat out Detroit Red Wing Pavel Datsyuk and Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler. Datsyuk is the reigning winner of the award.
Richards led the league with seven shorthanded goals and nine shorthanded points. He is also the first player in NHL history to have three goals in his career while defending a 5 on 3 powerplay. He also recorded shorthanded goals in three consecutive games this season from Feb. 15-21, and according to the Flyers website he is the first NHL player to do this since Joe Sakic in 1998.
Tags: Mike Richards, Pavel Datsyuk, Philadelphia Flyers, Ryan Kesler
