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Before we go handing out the Hart Trophy this season, let's be clear that there are both literal and "common law" requirements for the award.

Yes, the inscription reads "to the player deemed most valuable to his team," but that can't be the lone criteria. If that's the case, then Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov would have to be considered ... or Atlanta winger Ilya Kovalchuk ... or Maple Leafs center Mats Sundin.

Those teams would have fallen apart without their superstar, but that doesn't mean any of the three is worthy of Hart Trophy discussion.

The MVP of the NHL should be a player who not only helped lead his team, but helped lead the league. He should be a shining example of what everyone else aspires to be. He should be the best player in the NHL.

And that's why the Hart Trophy needs to go to Alexander Ovechkin. He fits all of the requirements. He was clearly the most valuable player on his team. Washington wouldn't have been close to the playoffs without Ovechkin He led the Capitals in goals, points, hits, plus-minus and game-winning goals. And he led the NHL in goals (65), points (112), and game-winning goals (12). He finished seventh in plus-minus at plus-28 and was 11th in hits at 217.

In other words, he was impossible to miss.

Now, there are other candidates. Evgeni Malkin led the Penguins to the top of the East at a time when Sidney Crosby was sidelined by injuries. Nicklas Lidstrom proved to Detroit fans that it's not fun at all when he's out of the lineup. Martin Brodeur and Evgeni Nabokov proved they were all the goaltending their respective teams really needed.

But Ovechkin was transcendent, Ovechkin was spectacular, Ovechkin was the best.

And that's really what the Hart Trophy is all about.

Winner: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington

Honorable mention: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh; Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit.

Preseason prediction: Dany Heatley, Ottawa.

Top defenseman

If Nicklas Lidstrom hasn't proved his worth over the last nine seasons in which he has won the Norris five times and been runner-up three times, then he certainly proved it when he missed a handful of games and the Red Wings went through their worst slump of the season.

The 37-year-old led all defensemen in scoring with 68 points and led all defensemen in plus-minus at plus-40 (the next closest defenseman was Chicago's Duncan Keith at plus-29).

Lidstrom has probably passed Ray Bourque on the list of greatest defensemen and has Bobby Orr in his sights.

Winner: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit

Honorable mention: Brian Campbell, San Jose; Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary

Preseason prediction: Lidstrom

Top goalie

The two leading candidates are so close statistically that it really is tough to pick between New Jersey's Martin Brodeur and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov. In addition, each goalie provided an amazing spine for two shaky teams that ended up eventually righting their ships.

Brodeur will probably be called the greatest goalie ever after he surpasses Patrick Roy's 551 win mark next season, but give this year to the scrappy Nabokov. He had never before played these kind of minutes (he led the NHL with 76 games played), and he finished with a 46-21-8 record and 2.15 goals against average.

Winner: Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose

Honorable mention: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey; Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers; Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim

Preseason prediction: Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota

Top coach

I don't envy the broadcasters who pick this one. Realistically, 10 candidates stand out, and this could be one of the closest votes ever.

Do you go with Mike Babcock, who has tons of talent in Detroit but still got the most out of it in a salary cap era? Do you go with Pittsburgh's Michel Therrien, who almost had a player revolt in November, lost his superstar for long stretches to injury and still could lead the Penguins to the top of the East in the end? Or do you go with Ron Wilson, who somehow navigated choppy waters out West and took the Sharks to the top of the Pacific Division?

The vote goes to Babcock and his assistants, who made the Red Wings the best team in the league for 82 games.

Winner: Mike Babcock, Detroit

Honorable mention: Bruce Boudreau, Washington; Ron Wilson, San Jose; Guy Carbonneau, Montreal

Preseason prediction: Jacques Lemaire, Minnesota

Top rookie

It was a balanced race, and that means that nobody really knocked your socks off.

Patrick Kane was great in Chicago and led all rookies in scoring with 69 points, but he faded down the stretch, and so did the Blackhawks. Teammate Jonathan Toews will probably be the most talented player to come out of this class, but he was injured and had numbers that were good, but not great.

Washington's Nicklas Backstrom saved his best for the end of the season, but how much was he living off of Ovechkin's steam? And Montreal goalie Carey Price was nails down the stretch, but are his 40 games played enough to register him as the best rookie in the league?

Forced to make a tough decision based on the fact I picked him to win it in the preseason, I'll go with Backstrom.

Winner: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington

Honorable mention: Patrick Kane, Chicago; Jonathan Toews, Chicago; Carey Price, Montreal

Preseason prediction: Backstrom