And the winners are . . .

Hart Trophy voters may not love netminder Chris Mason, but the Blues surely do. AP Allan Muir's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Allan. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

As the curtain comes down on the regular season, here are my choices for the campaign's best, worst and most engaging performances, players, signings, moves and other esoteric categories.

Player who truly deserves the MVP (but won't get it): Chris Mason, Blues

Even the NHL can't make up its mind. The Hart Trophy page on the league's web site says in one spot that the award goes to the player judged to be most valuable to his team. In another spot, it goes to the best player in the league.

The distinction is legitimate. Most voters will give the nod to Alex Ovechkin based on the latter definition, but if you go by the former, it's hard to imagine any player more individually integral to his team's success than Mason.

St. Louis was a floundering, last place squad when he took over as the No. 1 netminder in late January. Since then, the Blues found an identity and clawed their way into a playoff spot with just two games to go. While there's plenty of credit to go around for that success, the calming presence of Mason was the foundation. Without him, the Blues are weighing the merits of Matt Duchene and Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi.

Player who deserves at least one MVP vote: Scott Clemmensen, Devils
How soon they forget. When the Devils got together to vote on their MVP last week, they cast their lot with Zach Parise. Nothing wrong with that choice -- he'll probably pick up a few Hart votes as well. But honestly, New Jersey would be rattling around with Florida and Buffalo were it not for Clemmensen's heroic stand-in work after Martin Brodeur went down with a torn triceps. The career minor leaguer/NHL backup responded to the challenge with a 25-13-1 record, 2.39 GAA and .917 save percentage. More important -- he helped the Devils prove to themselves that they were more than just Brodeur's backup band.

Goal of the year (five-on-five): Alexander Ovechkin, Feb. 18, vs. Montreal
The math is pretty simple: when you record the most goals in the league, you're going to score a few of the most memorable . . . and none were more remarkable than this one against the Habs.

Cashing in on a broken play, Ovechkin picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone just ahead of Roman Hamrlik. With no time to look for help, he banked it off the boards, spun around the defender and picked it up again in the Montreal zone. He was hauled down by Kyle Chipchura before he could break in alone on Carey Price, but even that wasn't enough, Ovechkin casually flipped the puck over the sprawling netminder while sliding along the ice on the seat of his pants.

Goal of the year (shorthanded): Blake Wheeler, Dec. 21, vs. St. Louis
Wheeler earned his spot on Boston's roster with a strong back and some soft hands. Both were on display on this amazing shorthanded marker.

After taking a pass in the neutral zone, he carried the puck alone into St. Louis territory, then slowed up to wait for help. But with a line change underway, Wheeler was on his own against four defenders. Smartly, he drove to the net, took one hit, spun off it, and beat another defender with an outside-in deke to close alone on Manny Legace. His first bid was denied, but he managed to pick up the rebound and bury it to give Boston a 2-0 lead. See it to believe it.

Goal of the year (period): Jordan Eberle, Jan. 3, vs. Russia
Sometimes you have to credit substance over style.

The Canadians were trailing the Russians in the dying moments of their semi-fina at the 2009 World Juniors. Just when it looked like the defending champs would go for the fold, the Canadians found a way. With their netminder pulled in the final seconds, they buzzed the Russian net. The puck was nearly cleared by a defender before Ryan Ellis threw himself at the boards to keep it in the zone. It bounced to John Tavares, who fought off two Russians before launching a blind backhand at the net. The bid was blocked by a defender, but Eberle snatched it from underneath him and buried it behind Vadim Zhelobnyuk to tie the game with less than six seconds left. That set the stage for the Canadians to advance in the shootout on the way to their fifth consecutive gold medal.

Best fight (NHL): Daniel Carcillo vs. Derek Dorsett, Nov. 26
You say you prefer your hockey characterized by skill and grace? You might want to skip the next two categories, milquetoast. Fighting was up in the NHL this season -- that's a good thing -- and even though I prefer my tussles to occur more organically, this something-less-than-spontaneous bout was a classic. Try counting all the punches that connect.

Best fight (period): Jon Mirasty vs Jeremy Yablonski, Dec. 19
You don't see the AHL wringing its hands over the presence of fisticuffs in the game. Fortunately, that league understands the marketing appeal of the occasional Pier 6 brawl, and don't mind if teams employ the odd cement head to keep the opposition honest and the seats filled.

Cases in point: Mirasty and Yablonski won't ever have to worry about the tax implications of drawing an NHL paycheck, but they do know how to put on a show. This one's a beauty -- and yeah, I love the mutual pat on the back after the linesmen stepped in.

Proof that the open-ice hip check still exists: Brett Lebda on Cal Clutterbuck, Feb. 12

Check it out. Somewhere, Larry Robinson and Scott Stevens are smiling.

Player most in need of jam with his peanut butter: Martin Skoula, Wild
Come on, Marty. Five lousy minors in 79 games? It's one thing to play with discipline (see: Lidstrom, Nicklas). It's another to play with all the physicality of the pre-pubescent Zac Efron. If you're not sure where the action is, ask Nik Backstrom. I'm sure he'd be glad to point out a few of the opposing forwards camped out in front of him who would enjoy a Koho sandwich.