Draisaitl, Pastrnak win top athlete award in their respective country

Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins' David Pastrnak are being recognized in their respective home country for their accomplishments this past season.

Draisaitl became the first-ever hockey player to take home the top athlete of the year award in Germany. He joins Dirk Nowitzki as the only team-sport athlete to win the award. Pastrnak became the first hockey player to win the award in the Czech Republic since Jaromir Jagr in 2005.

The 25-year-old Draisaitl earned his first Hart Trophy last year after leading the NHL with 110 points in 71 games. The German award, which is voted on by the nation's journalists, has been given out annually since 1947.

"What a great honor for me to be voted by so many journalists," Draisaitl wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for your votes and support. It's been an incredible year and I am very proud to finish 2020 as Germany's Athlete of the Year."

Pastrnak became the fourth Czech hockey player to earn the award, joining Josef Mikolas, Dominik Hasek, and Jagr. The award, which has been given out annually since 1959, is voted on by members of the Czech Sports Journalist Association.

"I would never have imagined that I could win the Athlete of the Year of the Czech Republic," Pastrnak said, according to NHL.com's Eric Russo. "In hockey, the biggest prize is collective success, but having your name on such a trophy with a great history is something amazing."

Pastrnak earned the first Rocket Richard Trophy of his career, sharing the honor with Alex Ovechkin after finishing tied with 48 goals apiece last season. The 24-year-old finished the year with 95 points in 70 games and was tied for third-most in the league.