LAS VEGAS — Nathan MacKinnon stood in front of the photographers after the 2024 NHL Awards at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Thursday, smiling with his arms around the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award.

“It’s really cool,” the Colorado Avalanche center said. “I honestly never thought I’d win these, so very special.”

It was particularly special for MacKinnon to sweep the Hart and the Lindsay, winning each for the first time, because there were so many deserving candidates this season.

Remember that the Hart and the Lindsay are supposed to be distinct honors based on the regular season. They have different criteria and different voters.

The Hart goes “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable player to his team” as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. What it means to be “the most valuable” — especially in relation “to his team” — is a matter of debate in and of itself.

The other finalists were Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid.

Kucherov won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring champion with 144 points, the second-most by anyone over the past 28 years. He won the Hart in 2019.

McDavid finished third in the NHL with 132 points. He won the Hart in 2017, 2021 and 2023.

There wasn’t enough room in the top three for Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, who won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL goal-scoring champion with 69 goals, the most by anyone over the past 31 years. He won the Hart in 2022.

“It was really close,” MacKinnon said, speaking to a group of reporters. “It could have went to ‘Kuch,’ Connor, Auston, a lot of guys. Definitely very fortunate that you guys all voted for me. Appreciate it, I guess.”

Except the vote wasn’t that close, even though you could argue the Hart could have, or should have, gone to any of the other three.

MacKinnon won the Hart with 1,740 points (137 first-place votes). Kucherov was second with 1,269 (50), McDavid third with 845 (one) and Matthews fourth with 756 (two).