The 2011 NHL Awards show begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night on Versus and CBC. The show will take place live from Las Vegas and honor the best of the best from the 2010-11 season. Among the players being honored are Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk and defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.
Datsyuk is a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which goes to the best defensive forward in the NHL. Datsyuk is known for picking the pockets of opposing players and converting turnovers into goals, and he has won this award three years in a row. The other two nominees this year are Vancouver's Ryan Kesler and Chicago's Jonathan Toews.
Lidstrom is up for three different awards. The most notable one is the James Norris Trophy, which goes to the best defenseman in the league. Lidstrom has won this award six times and is looking to bring it home to Detroit yet again. For that to happen he will have to edge out Boston's Zdeno Chara and Nashville's Shea Weber.
Lidstrom is also a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award. The former goes to the player that exhibits the "best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability" and the latter is for the player that "exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season." The other finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy are Dallas' Loui Eriksson and Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis. The other two players up for the Messier Award are Chara and Phoenix's Shane Doan.
For a look at the all of the finalists for the awards that will be given out on Wednesday night, check out NHL.com.