Madden can win his second Selke Trophy at the NHL Awards Show Thursday night in Toronto.

The scoop on the Selke Trophy

newjerseydevils.com – Between his formidable faceoff talents and his special-teams play, John Madden is one of the Devils' best checkers. At the NHL Awards Show Thursday night in Toronto, he stands a chance of once again earning the NHL's top honors for defensive forwards.

Madden is a finalist for this year's Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded annually "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game." The eight-year veteran has been nominated for the award four times, winning it in just his second season (2001).

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Madden led Devils forwards in shorthanded goals (three) and average shorthanded minutes per game (3:35). He ranked seventh among NHL forwards in faceoffs taken with 1,463 and posted a 53.7% faceoff winning percentage. The 5-11, 190-lb. center was a core component of a Devils team that posted the top defensive record in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the NHL overall.

A native of Barrie, Ontario, Madden faces tough competition for the 2008 Selke from Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who round out this year's nominees.

Never drafted, Madden signed with the Devils on June 26, 1997, after four seasons at Michigan (CCHA).

He registered 16 goals and nine assists in his first full year as a Devil ('99-00), then broke through for 23 goals and 15 assists and a plus-24 rating – all career highs – in his sophomore campaign.

Madden amassed seven multipoint games in '00-01, including a five-point, plus-five night (4g-1a) that featured a club season-high 10 shots on goal against Pittsburgh on Oct. 28.

After scoring a league-high six shorthanded tallies in his first year, Madden added three more in '00-01.

Just two seasons into his career, he had risen to fifth on the Devils' all-time shorthanded goal list, logging extensive penalty-killing duties alongside linemate Jay Pandolfo.

Madden's career mark of 16 shorthanded goals is a franchise record, five ahead of Doug Brown and Stephane Richer (tie) in second place.