A Mighty Duck

Despite losing their first-round series to the
Predators, Perry an Co. will be back.

The 2010-11 season was a magical one for Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry and Wednesday came the icing on the cake. Perry was named this years recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy, an award handed out annually to the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

He becomes the first player in franchise history to have his named etched onto the trophy.

Perry outlasted Vancouver's Daniel Sedin, who was this years scoring champion with 104 points, to win the award. A year after his twin brother Henrik Sedin received the honor, Sedin was thought to be the favorite after he was the focal point of a team that won the Presidents' Trophy for the first time and represented the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Canadian native became only the second player from the Southern California area to win the award, falling in elite company with the "Great One". Wayne Gretzky is the only other player to capture the award while playing for a Southern California team after receiving the honor for his ninth and final time with the Los Angeles Kings in 1989.

San Jose's Joe Thornton is the only other player to bring home the award in state of California when he won in 2006.

This was not the only piece of hardware the twenty-six-year-old took home this season. Perry led the NHL is goals scored, reaching 50 for the first time in his young career, earning himself the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, an award presented to the league's highest goal-scorer.

Perry became the first Duck to lit the lamp 50 times in a single-season since fellow teammate Teemu Selanne did so 52 times during the 1997-98 season, when he finished third in the MVP voting.

Along with his 50 goals, Perry also dished out 48 assists during the year, just missing the century mark in points with 98. He was named to his first All-Star team, but none of this would have been possible without the help of his teammates and their dangerous front line.

Center Ryan Getzlaf and right wing Bobby Ryan fill an incredible first line in Anaheim, giving head coach Randy Carlyle one of the best in game. All twenty-six years of age or younger the three of them are some of hockey's most exciting young and dynamic players when skating the ice.

Despite the Ducks falling short in their first-round matchup against the Nashville Predators this postseason, the future looks bright in the Honda Center with these three youngsters looking to find the back of the net.

As for Perry with his unorthodox scoring technique, he is a player that wears his heart on his sleeve, but this time will hoist it to all those who are quacking.