Kesler misses Selke Trophy, Datsyuk wins the hardware

Pavel Datsyuk won his third consecutive Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward on Wednesday.

The Detroit Red Wings star beat out Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal and Vancouver's Ryan Kesler in voting conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

Datsyuk is the first player ever to win the award in three straight years.

He led the NHL in takeaways with a career-best 132.

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  Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler celebrates after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens during first period NHL action in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday October 7, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck