"Corey Perry, the Ducks' sniper who was the only 50-goal scorer in the NHL this past season, was selected as the recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player on Wednesday night.

Perry, 26, won the award in the first year he was a finalist, beating out Vancouver's Daniel Sedin and Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis. It was an emotional moment for the winger, who hugged his parents, Geoff and Nancy, before heading to the stage.

"They're what got me here," Perry said. "You didn't know what to expect coming in (and) obviously you hear your name. It surprised me. I've got to give a lot of credit to my teammates.

"I've got a lot of family and friends here. It's pretty special."

With a career-best 98 points to lead the Ducks into the Stanley Cup playoffs, Perry became the first Ducks player ever to win the Hart. Paul Kariya was a finalist in 1997, as was Teemu Selanne in 1998.

"First of all, it's well-deserved," Ducks GM Bob Murray said. "He was up against great competition. He's the most valuable player to his team. He got us in the playoffs."