LAS VEGAS — Their careers may be a little different based on the number of Stanley Cup rings they have on their finger(s), but Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron have quite a few things in common. One of them includes being perennial finalists for the Selke Trophy given to the best two-way hockey player in the National Hockey League.

For the third straight season, Toews and Bergeron are two of the three finalists for the Selke. Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings rounds out the list of candidates.

The comparisons don’t end there between Bergeron and Toews. Both have at least one Cup to their resume. Both faced each other in the 2013 Cup Final. Both represented the gold medal-winning Team Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Throughout their careers, both Toews and Bergeron have a great respect for one another as two tough competitors.

“The way that he’s won in every level that he’s played in and his consistency on the ice and the work ethic that he competes is definitely something that we should all look at and try to implement that into your game,” Bergeron said of Toews. “He’s definitely a great player and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Fresh off his third Stanley Cup triumph, Jonathan Toews comes to the 2015 NHL Awards looking for his second Selke Trophy (Photo Credit, Joe Makarski)

The other member of the Selke trio is no slouch either.

With his second straight Selke nomination, Kopitar has proved he belongs in the conversation as one of the best two-way forwards. He also has a couple of Stanley Cups to his resume and was a member of the Slovenia Olympic team in 2014.

“Knowing that you go up against a guy like that, two of the top centermen that are so important to the team two ways, he is so tough to play against,” Toews said of Bergeron and Kopitar. “Not only do they make you worry about playing in your own zone, but they don’t give up much and they’re so competitive in their own experience in winning as well. To be classified in that category is a huge honor for me and I think we can leave it at that. Whether I win or not, it’s a huge honor to be nominated along with those two guys.”

“Consistency is definitely one of the things that I see in them that I can definitely take and put into my game,” Bergeron added. “I think their compete level, their smarts on the ice and their work ethic, I have a tremendous respect for both of them. It’s just an honor to be in the same category as them.”

A two time Cup winner and Selke nominee, Anze Kopitar (pictured chasing a loose puck with Dougie Hamilton) hopes to hear his name called as the best two-way forward in the game during the NHL Awards (photo credit: Joe Makarski)

From their success at the faceoff circle to their defensive prowess and offensive touch, Bergeron, Toews and Kopitar prove that their three zone play is something that other inspiring hockey players can learn from. They not only have the skills, but they also have the hardware to back it up.

Bergeron, Toews and Kopitar have six Stanley Cups and 10 Selke award nominations between them and after tonight’s awards they’ll have a combined four Selke’s.

It would be no surprise if this year’s Selke trio will be back in Vegas in the foreseeable future.