Madden finalist for Selke

Apr 25, 2008 - 4:36 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- New Jersey Devils center John Madden was among three finalists named Friday for the Selke Trophy.

Also named as finalists for the trophy awarded "to the forward who best excels in defensive aspects of the game" were Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk and Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg.

A finalist for the fourth time, Madden won the award in 2001-02 and was runner-up in 2002-03 and 2003-04. This season, Madden led Devils forwards in shorthanded goals (three) and average ice time at just under 20 minutes per game.

With Madden's defensive presence, the Devils allowed an Eastern Conference-low 197 goals.

Named as a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy on Thursday, Datsyuk is in contention for his first Selke Trophy. The Russian led all players with a plus-41 rating this season, topping all NHL forwards with 144 takeaways to go along with 42 blocked shots, a major reason the Red Wings surrendered a league-low 184 goals.

A Selke finalist for the first time, Zetterberg amassed a plus-30 rating, playing just over 22 minutes per game. He also won 55 percent of his faceoffs.

The winner of the trophy will be announced June 12.