By PIERRE LEBRUN

The race for the Hart Trophy appears to be a two-man contest as the
NHL's regular season winds down this week.

Will it be Sidney Crosby or Roberto Luongo?

"You're talking royalty here," Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke said
yesterday. "They've both had phenomenal years."

Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Vincent Lecavalier of the
Tampa Bay Lightning and reigning NHL MVP Joe Thornton of the San Jose
Sharks also merit consideration for their outstanding seasons.

But where would the Pittsburgh Penguins be without Crosby, or the
Vancouver Canucks without star goaltender Luongo? They wouldn't be in
the playoffs, let alone possibly beginning the playoffs with home-ice
advantage.

"There are good arguments and other viable candidates for sure,"
Penguins GM Ray Shero told CP.

"But from my standpoint, Sidney Crosby is on a team that's gone from
58 points to over 100, and he is the lead guy for sure. He's the guy
that drives our team, emotionally, on and off the ice."

With Crosby, it's easy to forget he's still only 19.

"In addition to leading this team, there's the added pressure of being
the go-to guy off the ice for the league," said Shero. "But on the ice
it doesn't affect him at all. It's hard not to say enough good things
about the kid.

"He never takes a shift off. When your best player is your
hardest-working player, it's great."

Luongo, acquired by Canucks GM Dave Nonis in the trade of the decade
last summer, was second in the NHL with 45 wins before his game last
night as well as third in the league with a .922 save percentage and
seventh with a 2.27 goals-against average.

But the numbers don't tell all the story. Luongo, who turns 28 today,
has single-handedly changed the fortunes of the rebuilt Canucks.

"If Sidney wins, it's certainly well-deserved," said Burke.

"He took a dramatic step forward. Last year he was impressive. This
year he's dominant ...

"But no one could fault anyone for saying that the one guy who's made
the biggest difference to a team in this league this year is Roberto
Luongo."

So ... Luongo or Crosby?

"It's a flip of a coin," said another NHL GM.

CP's pick: Crosby, by the slimmest of margins. We feel both players
deserve the award, but can't ignore Pittsburgh's dramatic rise to a
Cup contender this year.

A look at CP's other picks for this year's awards:

CALDER TROPHY

Pick: Evgeni Malkin. You need a pretty compelling reason to ignore the
top scoring rookie in the NHL.

NORRIS TROPHY

Only three names have been on this trophy this decade: Nicklas
Lidstrom, Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. And we argue they once
again should be the three nominees.

"They're two different players," said Burke of Niedermayer and
Pronger. "Scotty's a thoroughbred and Pronger is a championship
Clydesdale ... But when you have two, the vote tends to get split."

Pick: For the second year in a row, Lidstrom by a thin hair over
Niedermayer. They both deserve to win it.

JACK ADAMS AWARD

Pick: Barry Trotz, Nashville. Long overdue for the only coach in
Preds' history.

VEZINA TROPHY

Pick: Luongo. A first of several for the Montreal native who went to
the same high school as Martin Brodeur.

SELKE TROPHY

Pick: Mike Fisher. The Senators centre plays in all situations and
against the opposing team's top players game in and game out.