Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was donated to the league in 1923 by David Hart, the father of Cecil Hart, the longtime head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. The Hart Trophy has been awarded 98 times to 61 different players since its beginnings in 1923–24.
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Sport | Ice hockey |
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Awarded for | Most Valuable Player in regular season of the National Hockey League |
History | |
First award | 1924 |
Most wins | Wayne Gretzky (9) |
Most recent | Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs |
History
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The Hart Memorial Trophy is named in honour of Canadian Dr. David Hart. Dr. Hart, who donated the original trophy to the NHL, was the father of Cecil Hart, a former Coach and General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens. The trophy was first awarded at the conclusion of the 1923–24 NHL season to Frank Nighbor of the original Ottawa Senators. The original Hart Trophy was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960, and the NHL began presenting a new trophy, which was dubbed the Hart Memorial Trophy in its place.[2] With the exceptions of Tommy Anderson, Al Rollins, and Jose Theodore, every eligible player who won the Hart Trophy (and retired) has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Wayne Gretzky won the award a record nine times during his career, eight consecutively. He has been named MVP more times than any player in the history of the other three North American major professional leagues (Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association, and National Football League). Barry Bonds is second, having won the MVP award seven times in the National League of Major League Baseball (The American League also awards an MVP), although until the 1930s baseball players were only permitted to win the award one time which limited the number of times Babe Ruth could win. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA MVP award six times, and before Gretzky, Gordie Howe held the record for the NHL having won the Hart 6 times. Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers teammate Mark Messier are the only players to win the Hart Trophy with more than one team.[3] Michael Jordan won the NBA MVP award 5 times. Peyton Manning won the NFL MVP 5 times. Only 5 players have won as many as 3: Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers.
Players from the Montreal Canadiens have won the award seventeen times; players from the Boston Bruins are second with thirteen winners. Joe Thornton became the only Hart Trophy winner to have switched clubs during his winning campaign during the 2005–06 season, having played for both the Bruins and San Jose Sharks that year. The defenseman with the most trophy victories is Eddie Shore, who has four. By contrast, it is rare for a goaltender to win the award, which has happened only eight times in its history by 7 different goaltenders; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek is the only two-time winner.
The voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, and each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10-7-5-3-1 point(s) system.[4] Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs. The closest the voting for the Hart Trophy has ever come was in the 2001–02 season, when Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla tied in the total voting. The tiebreaker for choosing the Hart Trophy winner in such a case is number of first-place votes: Theodore claimed it, who had 86 first-place votes to Iginla's 82.[5]
In 2008, the NHL's official online shop came under criticism after they placed a T-shirt advertising Alexander Ovechkin as the award winner on sale a week before the results were revealed. A spokesperson for the league said "in an effort to offer our fans the merchandise they want in a timely manner following an event such as the NHL Awards, our licensees prepare product for all possible outcomes. In this situation, the link for one of the possible products became live early through an error by our e-commerce provider."[6] Ovechkin was later confirmed to be the winner.
Winners
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![](../I/Joe_Thornton_2016.jpg.webp)
![](../I/Connor_McDavid_2-FEB-2022.jpg.webp)
^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NHL |
* | Denotes player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame |
~ | Denotes inactive player not yet eligible for Hockey Hall of Fame consideration |
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Denotes player whose team won the Stanley Cup that year |
Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player had won the Hart Trophy at that time |
Team (X) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team had won at that time |
Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1923–24 | Frank Nighbor* | Centre | ![]() |
Ottawa Senators |
1924–25 | Billy Burch* | Centre | ![]() |
Hamilton Tigers |
1925–26![]() |
Nels Stewart* | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Maroons |
1926–27 | Herb Gardiner* | Defenceman | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens |
1927–28 | Howie Morenz* | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (2) |
1928–29 | Roy Worters* | Goaltender | ![]() |
New York Americans |
1929–30 | Nels Stewart* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Maroons (2) |
1930–31![]() |
Howie Morenz* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (3) |
1931–32 | Howie Morenz* (3) | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (4) |
1932–33 | Eddie Shore* | Defenceman | ![]() |
Boston Bruins |
1933–34 | Aurèle Joliat* | Left wing | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (5) |
1934–35 | Eddie Shore* (2) | Defenceman | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (2) |
1935–36 | Eddie Shore* (3) | Defenceman | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (3) |
1936–37 | Babe Siebert* | Defenceman | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (6) |
1937–38 | Eddie Shore* (4) | Defenceman | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (4) |
1938–39 | Toe Blake* | Left wing | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (7) |
1939–40 | Ebbie Goodfellow* | Defenceman | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings |
1940–41![]() |
Bill Cowley* | Centre | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (5) |
1941–42 | Tommy Anderson | Defenceman | ![]() |
Brooklyn Americans |
1942–43 | Bill Cowley* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (6) |
1943–44 | Babe Pratt* | Defenceman | ![]() |
Toronto Maple Leafs |
1944–45 | Elmer Lach* | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (8) |
1945–46 | Max Bentley* | Centre | ![]() |
Chicago Black Hawks |
1946–47 | Maurice Richard* | Right wing | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (9) |
1947–48 | Buddy O'Connor* | Centre | ![]() |
New York Rangers |
1948–49 | Sid Abel* | Centre | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (2) |
1949–50 | Chuck Rayner* | Goaltender | ![]() |
New York Rangers (2) |
1950–51 | Milt Schmidt* | Centre | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (7) |
1951–52![]() |
Gordie Howe* | Right wing | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (3) |
1952–53 | Gordie Howe* (2) | Right wing | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (4) |
1953–54 | Al Rollins | Goaltender | ![]() |
Chicago Black Hawks (2) |
1954–55 | Ted Kennedy* | Centre | ![]() |
Toronto Maple Leafs (2) |
1955–56![]() |
Jean Béliveau* | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (10) |
1956–57 | Gordie Howe* (3) | Right wing | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (5) |
1957–58 | Gordie Howe* (4) | Right wing | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (6) |
1958–59 | Andy Bathgate* | Right wing | ![]() |
New York Rangers (3) |
1959–60 | Gordie Howe* (5) | Right wing | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (7) |
1960–61 | Bernie Geoffrion* | Right wing | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (11) |
1961–62 | Jacques Plante* | Goaltender | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (12) |
1962–63 | Gordie Howe* (6) | Right wing | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (8) |
1963–64 | Jean Béliveau* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (13) |
1964–65 | Bobby Hull* | Left wing | ![]() |
Chicago Black Hawks (3) |
1965–66 | Bobby Hull* (2) | Left wing | ![]() |
Chicago Black Hawks (4) |
1966–67 | Stan Mikita* | Centre | ![]() |
Chicago Black Hawks (5) |
1967–68 | Stan Mikita* (2) | Left wing | ![]() |
Chicago Black Hawks (6) |
1968–69 | Phil Esposito* | Centre | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (8) |
1969–70![]() |
Bobby Orr* | Defenceman | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (9) |
1970–71 | Bobby Orr* (2) | Defenceman | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (10) |
1971–72![]() |
Bobby Orr* (3) | Defenceman | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (11) |
1972–73 | Bobby Clarke* | Centre | ![]() |
Philadelphia Flyers |
1973–74 | Phil Esposito* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (12) |
1974–75![]() |
Bobby Clarke* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Philadelphia Flyers (2) |
1975–76 | Bobby Clarke* (3) | Centre | ![]() |
Philadelphia Flyers (3) |
1976–77![]() |
Guy Lafleur* | Right wing | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (14) |
1977–78![]() |
Guy Lafleur* (2) | Right wing | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (15) |
1978–79 | Bryan Trottier* | Centre | ![]() |
New York Islanders |
1979–80 | Wayne Gretzky* | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers |
1980–81 | Wayne Gretzky* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (2) |
1981–82 | Wayne Gretzky* (3) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (3) |
1982–83 | Wayne Gretzky* (4) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (4) |
1983–84![]() |
Wayne Gretzky* (5) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (5) |
1984–85![]() |
Wayne Gretzky* (6) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (6) |
1985–86 | Wayne Gretzky* (7) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (7) |
1986–87![]() |
Wayne Gretzky* (8) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (8) |
1987–88 | Mario Lemieux* | Centre | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Penguins |
1988–89 | Wayne Gretzky* (9) | Centre | ![]() |
Los Angeles Kings |
1989–90![]() |
Mark Messier* | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (9) |
1990–91 | Brett Hull* | Right wing | ![]() |
St. Louis Blues |
1991–92 | Mark Messier* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
New York Rangers (4) |
1992–93 | Mario Lemieux* (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Penguins (2) |
1993–94 | Sergei Fedorov* | Centre | ![]() |
Detroit Red Wings (9) |
1994–95 | Eric Lindros* | Centre | ![]() |
Philadelphia Flyers (4) |
1995–96 | Mario Lemieux* (3) | Centre | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Penguins (3) |
1996–97 | Dominik Hašek* | Goaltender | ![]() |
Buffalo Sabres |
1997–98 | Dominik Hašek* (2) | Goaltender | ![]() |
Buffalo Sabres (2) |
1998–99 | Jaromír Jágr~ | Right wing | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) |
1999–2000 | Chris Pronger* | Defenceman | ![]() |
St. Louis Blues (2) |
2000–01![]() |
Joe Sakic* | Centre | ![]() |
Colorado Avalanche |
2001–02 | José Théodore | Goaltender | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (16) |
2002–03 | Peter Forsberg* | Centre | ![]() |
Colorado Avalanche (2) |
2003–04![]() |
Martin St. Louis* | Right wing | ![]() |
Tampa Bay Lightning |
2004–05 | Trophy was not awarded due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout | |||
2005–06 | Joe Thornton^ | Centre | ![]() |
Boston Bruins (13) / San Jose Sharks[lower-alpha 6] |
2006–07 | Sidney Crosby^ | Centre | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Penguins (5) |
2007–08 | Alexander Ovechkin^ | Left wing | ![]() |
Washington Capitals |
2008–09 | Alexander Ovechkin^ (2) | Left wing | ![]() |
Washington Capitals (2) |
2009–10 | Henrik Sedin* | Centre | ![]() |
Vancouver Canucks |
2010–11 | Corey Perry^ | Right wing | ![]() |
Anaheim Ducks |
2011–12 | Evgeni Malkin^ | Centre | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Penguins (6) |
2012–13 | Alexander Ovechkin^ (3) | Right wing | ![]() |
Washington Capitals (3) |
2013–14 | Sidney Crosby^ (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Pittsburgh Penguins (7) |
2014–15 | Carey Price^ | Goaltender | ![]() |
Montreal Canadiens (17) |
2015–16 | Patrick Kane^ | Right wing | ![]() |
Chicago Blackhawks (7) |
2016–17 | Connor McDavid^ | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (10) |
2017–18 | Taylor Hall^ | Left wing | ![]() |
New Jersey Devils |
2018–19 | Nikita Kucherov^ | Right wing | ![]() |
Tampa Bay Lightning (2) |
2019–20 | Leon Draisaitl^ | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (11) |
2020–21 | Connor McDavid^ (2) | Centre | ![]() |
Edmonton Oilers (12) |
2021–22 | Auston Matthews^ | Centre | ![]() |
Toronto Maple Leafs (3) |
Multi-time winners
Awards | Player | Team(s) | Years |
---|---|---|---|
9 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers (8) / Los Angeles Kings (1) | 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89 |
6 | Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 1951–52, 1952–53, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1962–63 |
4 | Eddie Shore | Boston Bruins | 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1937–38 |
3 | Howie Morenz | Montreal Canadiens | 1927–28, 1930–31, 1931–32 |
Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins | 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72 | |
Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers | 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76 | |
Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1987–88, 1992–93, 1995–96 | |
Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | 2007–08, 2008–09, 2012–13 | |
2 | Nels Stewart | Montreal Maroons | 1925–26, 1929–30 |
Bill Cowley | Boston Bruins | 1940–41, 1942–43 | |
Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens | 1955–56, 1963–64 | |
Bobby Hull | Chicago Blackhawks | 1964–65, 1965–66 | |
Stan Mikita | Chicago Blackhawks | 1966–67, 1967–68 | |
Phil Esposito | Boston Bruins | 1968–69, 1973–74 | |
Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 1976–77, 1977–78 | |
Mark Messier | Edmonton Oilers (1) / New York Rangers (1) | 1989–90, 1991–92 | |
Dominik Hašek | Buffalo Sabres | 1996–97, 1997–98 | |
Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2006–07, 2013–14 | |
Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | 2016–17, 2020–21 |
Teams
Awards | Teams | Years |
---|---|---|
17 | Montreal Canadiens | 1926–27, 1927–28, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1936–37, 1938–39, 1944–45, 1946–47, 1955–56, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1976–77, 1977–78, 2001–02, 2014–15 |
13 | Boston Bruins | 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1940–41, 1942–43, 1950–51, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1973–74, 2005–06 |
12 | Edmonton Oilers | 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1989–90, 2016–17, 2019–20, 2020–21 |
9 | Detroit Red Wings | 1939–40, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1993–94 |
7 | Chicago Blackhawks | 1945–46, 1953–54, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 2015–16 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 1987–88, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2006–07, 2011–12, 2013–14 | |
4 | New York Rangers | 1947–48, 1949–50, 1958–59, 1991–92 |
Philadelphia Flyers | 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1994–95 | |
3 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1943–44, 1954–55, 2021–22 |
Washington Capitals | 2007–08, 2008–09, 2012–13 | |
2 | Montreal Maroons | 1925–26, 1929–30 |
New York Americans | 1928–29, 1941–42 | |
St. Louis Blues | 1990–91, 1999–2000 | |
Buffalo Sabres | 1996–97, 1997–98 | |
Colorado Avalanche | 2000–01, 2002–03 | |
Tampa Bay Lightning | 2003–04, 2018–19 | |
1 | Ottawa Senators (original) | 1923–24 |
Hamilton Tigers | 1924–25 | |
New York Islanders | 1978–79 | |
Los Angeles Kings | 1988–89 | |
San Jose Sharks | 2005–06 | |
Vancouver Canucks | 2009–10 | |
Anaheim Ducks | 2010–11 | |
New Jersey Devils | 2017–18 | |
0 | Arizona Coyotes | None |
Calgary Flames | ||
Carolina Hurricanes | ||
Columbus Blue Jackets | ||
Dallas Stars | ||
Florida Panthers | ||
Minnesota Wild | ||
Nashville Predators | ||
Ottawa Senators (current) | ||
Seattle Kraken | ||
Vegas Golden Knights | ||
Winnipeg Jets |
See also
- Ted Lindsay Award
- List of NHL statistical leaders
Notes
- Bill Burch, who was born in the United States, was raised in Canada.
- Tommy Anderson, who was born in the United Kingdom, was raised in Canada.
- Stan Mikita, who was born in the Slovak Republic, was partially raised in Canada.
- Bryan Trottier, who was born and raised in Canada, became a dual Canadian–United States citizen in 1984.
- Brett Hull, who was born in Canada, was partially raised in the United States.
- The 2005–06 winner, Joe Thornton, was traded from the Boston Bruins to the San Jose Sharks mid-season. To date, he is only winner to have played for multiple teams during his winning season.
References
- General
- "Hart Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- Hockey Hall of Fame. "Legends of Hockey - NHL Trophies - Hart Memorial Trophy". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- "NHL Hart Memorial Trophy Winners". Hockey Reference. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- Hollander, Zander; Bock, Hal, eds. (1970). The Complete Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey. Prentice-Hall Inc. ISBN 0-13-159905-4.
- Specific
- "Hart Memorial Trophy". Official website of Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- Hollander & Bock 1970, p. 311.
- "99 Reasons Why Wayne Gretzky is "The Great One"". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
- Dolezar, Jon (April 20, 2003). "Foppa shows the most Hart". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - "Hart Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- "Did NHL Shop Reveal Ovechkin as Hart Winner?". The Sports Network. June 6, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
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