ST. LOUIS — Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak was surprised he won the NHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award, and the new Honda CRV that comes with it, because it came on a losing effort.
“Definitely surprised. I would expect the winner should win MVP, you know?” said Pastrnak, who had four goals and two assists in the two 3-on-3 tournament games at Saturday’s All-Star event in St. Louis.
Pastrnak had a hat trick in the Atlantic’s opening 9-5 victory over the Metropolitan, and then had a goal and an assist in a tightly played 5-4 championship game loss to the Pacific Division.
“The first shift of the game one against Metro, he back-checked all the way to the goal line. I was like, where was this all year?” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who coached the Atlantic All-stars. “Nah, he was good. He was chatting with the guys. He enjoyed the moment. They’re all good guys.”
The MVP voting was done online during that final game, with Pastrnak getting 36 percent of the votes from fans, followed by Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk (27 percent), Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (20 percent) and Ottawa Senators forward Anthony Duclair (17 percent).
When it was announced he won the MVP award, Pastrnak received some boos from the home crowd — no doubt lingering feelings from the Blues’ seven-game battle with the Bruins last postseason.
“If I was voted in by fans, I appreciate the love, you know?” said Pastrnak. “Probably wasn’t any fans from the St. Louis building who voted, but for the fans that did, I appreciate the love.”
The Bruins return to action on Jan. 31 at the Winnipeg Jets. Pastrnak has 70 points in 51 games this season, including a league-leading 37 goals.