Alex Ovechkin wins his third NHL MVP award

Capitals' Alex Ovechkin won this year's NHL MVP award. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

Washington Capitals right wing Alexander Ovechkin has won his third NHL MVP award with 50 first-place votes. He is now one of 10 players in NHL history to win the award more than two times.

Ovechkin, who also won the award in 2008 and 2009, finished with a league-leading 32 goals, and was third best in the league with 56 points.

He beat out Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and John Tavares of the New York Islanders for the award on Saturday night. Crosby, who was a total of 32 points behind Ovechkin, had 46 first-place votes, while Tavares had 38.

The NHL season awards were announced before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday night. Montreal's P.K. Subban won his first top defenseman award. Columbus' Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky won the top goaltender award, and Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau won the NHL's top rookie award.

Pittsburgh's Crosby won the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the league's most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players' Association.