NEW YORK (Reuters) - Captains Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators are the three finalists for top defenseman, the NHL said Monday.
The winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy will be announced June 22 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
Chara, a former winner of the Norris Trophy and four-time finalist, had 44 points this campaign, marking the seventh straight season he has surpassed the 40-point plateau.
Detroit's Lidstrom, a six-time winner of the award and finalist for the 11th time in 13 seasons, was second among defensemen in scoring with 62 points, lead his team in ice time and enjoyed a career-best 11-game point streak.
Weber, a first-time finalist for the award, led Nashville defenseman with 48 points and played a key role in helping the team secure its sixth playoff berth in seven years setting single-season career highs in several categories, including games, average ice time, assists and shots.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, Editing by Steve Keating)
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