Gold-medal-winning sled hockey player nominated for ESPY

From the National Hockey League:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USA Hockey will be well represented at the 2010 ESPY Awards on July 14 in Los Angeles. The 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, Ryan Miller, Blake Geoffrion and Steve Cash (pictured) have all been nominated for ESPY Awards for the Best Game, Best NHL Player, Best Male College Athlete and Best Male Athlete with a Disability, respectively.

Best game
The U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team was nominated for its Olympic gold-medal showdown with Canada. Team USA's Zach Parise (Minneapolis, Minn.) scored with just 24 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score, 2-2, and send the contest into overtime. Despite Team USA's eventual loss, the largest television audience for a hockey game in 30 years witnessed the U.S. capture its second silver medal in three Olympic Winter Games.

Best NHL player
Miller (East Lansing, Mich.), a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team and the most valuable player of the Olympic tournament, recently won the NHL's Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in 2009-10. USA Hockey honored Miller with the 2010 Bob Johnson Award for outstanding performance in international play.

Best male college athlete
Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn.) won the 2010 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, men's college ice hockey's top individual honor, after helping lead the University of Wisconsin men's ice hockey team to an NCAA Division I championship game berth. He was also named USA Hockey's College Player of the Year.

Best male athlete with a disability
During the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Cash (Overland, Mo.) backstopped the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team to its second-ever gold medal. He achieved what no other sled hockey goaltender has ever done by not allowing a single goal throughout the tournament. He turned aside all 33 shots faced in the five games of the Paralympics.

Begun by cable sports channel ESPN in 1993, the annual ESPY Awards allows sports fans worldwide to join in an online vote for their favorites in multiple categories. Fans can vote for the USA Hockey nominees here.