Pronger selected NHL's most vauluable player

TORONTO (AP) -- Chris Pronger won the closest MVP vote in NHL history, was a runaway winner as best defenseman and made the All-Star team. Not a bad night's work for the St. Louis Blues captain.

''I'd probably trade them both for the Stanley Cup,'' said Pronger, whose team had the league's best record, only to lose to San Jose in the first round of the playoffs, ''but if I had to take nothing or these, I'd definitely take these two.''

Pronger skated away with the Hart Trophy as MVP on Thursday night, edging Jaromir Jagr by a single point. He became the first defenseman since Bobby Orr in 1972 to win the Hart.

Minutes earlier, Pronger had won the Norris as best defenseman.

Pronger got 396 points, while league scoring champion Jagr, the Pittsburgh star who won last year, had 395 in balloting by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Florida's Pavel Bure, who led the NHL with 58 goals, got 346 points.

''That's a testament to all three of our seasons,'' Pronger said.

The previous closest Hart vote was in 1990 when Edmonton's Mark Messier edged Boston's Ray Bourque 227-225.

The other award winners included:

--New Jersey center Scott Gomez, who got the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

--The Blues' Joel Quenneville, who got the Jack Adams Award as outstanding coach.

--Washington's Olaf Kolzig, handed the Vezina Trophy as outstanding goalie.

--Detroit center Steve Yzerman, awarded the Selke Trophy as outstanding defensive forward.

--St. Louis forward Pavol Demitra, given the Lady Byng Trophy as most gentlemanly player.

--Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph, who earned the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for humanitarianism.

Also announced Thursday night was the NHL's first All-Star team, featuring Yzerman between Jagr and Brendan Shanahan up front, Pronger and Nicklas Lidstrom on defense and Kolzig in goal.

The awards were based on PHWA voting on regular-season performances.