Predators captain Shea Weber nominated for Norris Trophy

The morning after the Nashville Predators won their first ever playoff series by beating Anaheim 4-2, Predators Captain Shea Weber received his first ever Norris Trophy nomination.

The Norris Trophy is given to the defenseman judged to be the best in the National Hockey League.

This season,Weber tallied 16 goals and added 32 assists for 48 points. He was 6th in the League for hits by a defenseman,  2nd in takeaways for his position, 3rd on defense in shots.

Weber was third in ice time for the entire 2010-11 season averaging 25:19 per game. It was a career season for Weber who set career highs in games played (82),  average ice time, assists (32) and shots (254).

Weber finishes second to Chara, again, for hardest shot in NHL

The skills competition was a big hit Saturday night at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Hardest Shot competition was the main event for Nashville Predators fans where Captain Shea Weber came second to Zdeno Chara in 2009, the last time there was an NHL All-Star game.

Two players go head-to-head and then the two players with the top two hardest shots go against each other to see who has the hardest shot in the NHL.

Weber was pitted against Chara and in the first round beat Chara with a 104.8 mph shot. Chara was shooting in the 101 mph range.

When each shooter that was competing for Team Staal and Team Lidstrom was done, it was again down to Chara and Weber.

Chara would not be denied and in fact broke his own record set in 2009 with a shot that registered at 105.9 mph.

Weber to compete in hardest shot competition

Even the players themselves were talking about, Chara vs. Weber — who will win the hardest shot competition?

Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins remains the favorite to win the Hardest Shot competition

When Team Staal chose Zdeno Chara seventh overall, Team Lidstrom chose Shea Weber with their next selection and stated it was to counter the selection of the Boston Bruins’ big guy.

Weber on being drafted to Team Lidstrom

Nashville’s captain, Shea Weber, makes his second consecutive appearance in the NHL’s All-Star game this weekend. Friday night, Weber was drafted as the third defensemen picked, eighth overall, onto Team Lidstrom.

Weber said he didn’t expect to be drafted that high and he wasn’t sure if picking him was, as Martin St. Louis said when making the announcement, an answer to Team Staal picking Zdeno Chara.

In addition to Weber, Team Lidstrom featured a defense corps that included last year’s Norris Trophy winner, Duncan Keith, former Blackhawk and an early candidate for the Norris this year, Dustin Byfgulien, Keith Yandle who leads Phoenix in points, the Minnesota Wild’s Brent Burns, and, of course, Lidstrom himself.