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Martin St. Louis a gentleman and a scholar, takes home Lady Byng Trophy

NHL Awards Portraits

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 22: Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning poses after winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophyposes for a portrait during the 2011 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort June 22, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

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It’s not always the most beloved award, but for Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis it’s the one he’s taking home once again. St. Louis won the Lady Byng tonight for the second year in a row and this time he took out a savvy veteran and a newcomer to the discussion to do it, not to mention fellow All-Stars.

St. Louis beat out Nicklas Lidstrom and Loui Eriksson for the league’s most noble award. In a league where lawlessness and head shots sometimes dominate the discussion, St. Louis is the player holding up the banner that hockey can be both graceful and have manners to it. That’s not to say that both Eriksson and Lidstrom are more of the ruffian types, just that St. Louis has yet again been the best embodiment of what it is to carry yourself with dignity and honor on the ice. Perhaps St. Louis learned some of those skills while at the University of Vermont while teamed up with Tim Thomas in the 1990s.

St. Louis was the runaway selection by the voters taking home 70 first place votes and earning 994 points. Lidstrom was second with 22 first place votes and 464 points. Eriksson was third with nine first place votes and 347 points. Fans can sometimes look upon this award as something less-than cool but in such a violent game it’s worth the time and effort to appreciate those that best set the example for how the game can be beautifully played.