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The '''Conn Smythe Trophy''' ({{lang-fr|Trophée Conn-Smythe}}) is awarded annually to the [[most valuable player]] (MVP) of his team during the [[National Hockey League]]'s (NHL) [[Stanley Cup playoffs]]. It is named after [[Conn Smythe]], the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]]. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 54 times to 47 players since the [[1964–65 NHL season]]. Each year, at the conclusion of the final game of the [[Stanley Cup Finals]], members of the [[Professional Hockey Writers' Association]] vote to elect the player deserving of the trophy. The trophy is handed out by the [[NHL Commissioner]] before the presentation of the [[Stanley Cup]] and only the winner is announced, in contrast to most of the other [[List of National Hockey League awards|NHL awards]] which name three finalists and are presented at a ceremony. Vote tallies for the Conn Smythe Trophy were released starting in 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/avalanches-cale-makar-wins-conn-smythe-trophy-as-stanley-cup-playoffs-mvp/ | title=Avalanche's Cale Makar wins Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP | access-date=2022-06-27 | archive-date=2022-06-27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627090915/https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/avalanches-cale-makar-wins-conn-smythe-trophy-as-stanley-cup-playoffs-mvp/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
The '''Conn Smythe Trophy''' ({{langx|fr|Trophée Conn-Smythe}}) is awarded annually to the [[most valuable player]] (MVP) of his team during the [[National Hockey League]]'s (NHL) [[Stanley Cup playoffs]]. It is named after [[Conn Smythe]], the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the [[Toronto Maple Leafs]]. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 54 times to 47 players since the [[1964–65 NHL season]]. Each year, at the conclusion of the final game of the [[Stanley Cup Finals]], members of the [[Professional Hockey Writers' Association]] vote to elect the player deserving of the trophy. The trophy is handed out by the [[NHL Commissioner]] before the presentation of the [[Stanley Cup]] and only the winner is announced, in contrast to most of the other [[List of National Hockey League awards|NHL awards]] which name three finalists and are presented at a ceremony. Vote tallies for the Conn Smythe Trophy were released starting in 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/avalanches-cale-makar-wins-conn-smythe-trophy-as-stanley-cup-playoffs-mvp/ | title=Avalanche's Cale Makar wins Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP | access-date=2022-06-27 | archive-date=2022-06-27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627090915/https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/avalanches-cale-makar-wins-conn-smythe-trophy-as-stanley-cup-playoffs-mvp/ | url-status=live }}</ref>


Unlike the playoff MVP awards presented in the other [[major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada]] (the [[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|Super Bowl MVP]], the [[Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award|NBA Finals MVP]], the [[MLS Cup#Most valuable player|MLS Cup MVP]] and the [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP]]), the Conn Smythe is based on a player's performance during the entire NHL postseason instead of just the championship game or series.
Unlike the playoff MVP awards presented in the other [[major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada]] (the [[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|Super Bowl MVP]], the [[Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award|NBA Finals MVP]], the [[MLS Cup#Most valuable player|MLS Cup MVP]] and the [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP]]), the Conn Smythe is based on a player's performance during the entire NHL postseason instead of just the championship game or series.
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Though the trophy rewards a player who performed particularly well over the entirety of the playoffs, it has never been given to a player whose team did not at least reach the [[Stanley Cup Finals]]. The trophy has been awarded to members of the team that lost the Finals six times, most recently [[Connor McDavid]] of the [[Edmonton Oilers]] in 2024. The only two skaters to win the award while his team lost the final round are Edmonton's [[Connor McDavid]] and Philadelphia's [[Reggie Leach]], the latter of which won it in [[1976 Stanley Cup playoffs|1976]], as he had set a league record for most goals in the playoffs (19), which included a five-goal game in the semifinals and four goals in the Finals, even though the Canadiens swept his Flyers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13337|title=Reggie Joseph Leach|work=Legends of Hockey|access-date=February 8, 2015|archive-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209065621/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13337|url-status=live}}</ref> McDavid set the all-time playoff record for assists in [[2024 Stanley Cup playoffs|2024]] and led the playoffs in scoring by ten points, despite the [[Florida Panthers]] defeating his Oilers in seven games.<ref name="McDavid" />
Though the trophy rewards a player who performed particularly well over the entirety of the playoffs, it has never been given to a player whose team did not at least reach the [[Stanley Cup Finals]]. The trophy has been awarded to members of the team that lost the Finals six times, most recently [[Connor McDavid]] of the [[Edmonton Oilers]] in 2024. The only two skaters to win the award while his team lost the final round are Edmonton's [[Connor McDavid]] and Philadelphia's [[Reggie Leach]], the latter of which won it in [[1976 Stanley Cup playoffs|1976]], as he had set a league record for most goals in the playoffs (19), which included a five-goal game in the semifinals and four goals in the Finals, even though the Canadiens swept his Flyers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13337|title=Reggie Joseph Leach|work=Legends of Hockey|access-date=February 8, 2015|archive-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209065621/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13337|url-status=live}}</ref> McDavid set the all-time playoff record for assists in [[2024 Stanley Cup playoffs|2024]] and led the playoffs in scoring by ten points, despite the [[Florida Panthers]] defeating his Oilers in seven games.<ref name="McDavid" />


Ten players born outside of Canada have won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The non-Canadian winners are Americans [[Brian Leetch]], who won it in [[1994 Stanley Cup playoffs|1994]], [[Tim Thomas (ice hockey, born 1974)|Tim Thomas]] in [[2011 Stanley Cup playoffs|2011]], [[Jonathan Quick]] in [[2012 Stanley Cup playoffs|2012]], and [[Patrick Kane]] in [[2013 Stanley Cup playoffs|2013]]; Russians [[Evgeni Malkin]], [[Alexander Ovechkin]] and [[Andrei Vasilevskiy]] who won it in [[2009 Stanley Cup playoffs|2009]], [[2018 Stanley Cup playoffs|2018]] and [[2021 Stanley Cup playoffs|2021]], respectively; and Swedes [[Nicklas Lidstrom]], [[Henrik Zetterberg]] and [[Victor Hedman]], who won it in [[2002 Stanley Cup playoffs|2002]], [[2008 Stanley Cup playoffs|2008]] and [[2020 Stanley Cup playoffs|2020]], respectively.
Ten players born outside of Canada have won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The non-Canadian winners are Americans [[Brian Leetch]], who won it in [[1994 Stanley Cup playoffs|1994]], [[Tim Thomas (ice hockey, born 1974)|Tim Thomas]] in [[2011 Stanley Cup playoffs|2011]], [[Jonathan Quick]] in [[2012 Stanley Cup playoffs|2012]], and [[Patrick Kane]] in [[2013 Stanley Cup playoffs|2013]]; Russians [[Evgeni Malkin]], [[Alexander Ovechkin]] and [[Andrei Vasilevskiy]] who won it in [[2009 Stanley Cup playoffs|2009]], [[2018 Stanley Cup playoffs|2018]] and [[2021 Stanley Cup playoffs|2021]], respectively; and Swedes [[Nicklas Lidström|Nicklas Lidstrom]], [[Henrik Zetterberg]] and [[Victor Hedman]], who won it in [[2002 Stanley Cup playoffs|2002]], [[2008 Stanley Cup playoffs|2008]] and [[2020 Stanley Cup playoffs|2020]], respectively.


Three players have won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the [[Hart Memorial Trophy]] for [[Most Valuable Player]] during the regular season in the same year: Orr in 1970 and 1972, [[Guy Lafleur]] in [[1977 Stanley Cup playoffs|1977]], and Wayne Gretzky in [[1985 Stanley Cup playoffs|1985]]. These three players also won the [[Art Ross Trophy]], having scored more points than any other player during the regular season (Orr only in 1970), while Orr also won the [[James Norris Memorial Trophy]] as top defenceman to give him a record four individual original NHL awards in 1970.<ref name="nhl.com"/><ref name="hartnhl.com">{{cite web|title=Hart Memorial Trophy |url=http://www.nhl.com/trophies/hart.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427123613/http://www.nhl.com/trophies/hart.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 27, 2006 |work=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=August 17, 2007 }}</ref>
Three players have won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the [[Hart Memorial Trophy]] for [[Most Valuable Player]] during the regular season in the same year: Orr in 1970 and 1972, [[Guy Lafleur]] in [[1977 Stanley Cup playoffs|1977]], and Wayne Gretzky in [[1985 Stanley Cup playoffs|1985]]. These three players also won the [[Art Ross Trophy]], having scored more points than any other player during the regular season (Orr only in 1970), while Orr also won the [[James Norris Memorial Trophy]] as top defenceman to give him a record four individual original NHL awards in 1970.<ref name="nhl.com"/><ref name="hartnhl.com">{{cite web|title=Hart Memorial Trophy |url=http://www.nhl.com/trophies/hart.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427123613/http://www.nhl.com/trophies/hart.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 27, 2006 |work=[[National Hockey League]] |access-date=August 17, 2007 }}</ref>
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Latest revision as of 19:39, 12 December 2024

This article is about the trophy. For the person, see Conn Smythe.

Conn Smythe Trophy
SportIce hockey
LeagueNational Hockey League
Awarded for"Most valuable player for his team" in the Stanley Cup Playoffs[1]
History
First award1964–65 NHL season
First winnerJean Beliveau
Most winsPatrick Roy (3)
Most recentConnor McDavid
Edmonton Oilers

The Conn Smythe Trophy (French: Trophée Conn-Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 54 times to 47 players since the 1964–65 NHL season. Each year, at the conclusion of the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals, members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote to elect the player deserving of the trophy. The trophy is handed out by the NHL Commissioner before the presentation of the Stanley Cup and only the winner is announced, in contrast to most of the other NHL awards which name three finalists and are presented at a ceremony. Vote tallies for the Conn Smythe Trophy were released starting in 2017.[2]

Unlike the playoff MVP awards presented in the other major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada (the Super Bowl MVP, the NBA Finals MVP, the MLS Cup MVP and the World Series MVP), the Conn Smythe is based on a player's performance during the entire NHL postseason instead of just the championship game or series.

The most recent winner is Connor McDavid.[3] He is only the sixth player in NHL history to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy while being on the losing team. The last player to do it before him was Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003.[4]

History

[edit]

The Conn Smythe Trophy was introduced in 1964 by Maple Leaf Gardens Limited to honour Conn Smythe, the former owner, general manager and coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder.[1] The centrepiece of the trophy is a stylized silver replica of Maple Leaf Gardens, the arena built under Smythe's ownership of the Maple Leafs, and their home from 1931 to 1999. Backing the arena replica is a large silver botanically accurate maple leaf. The arena replica and leaf are set atop a square wooden foundation, the front of which bears a dedication plaque. Additional tiers below the foundation, sloping outward, contain maple leaf-shaped plates bearing the inscriptions of the winners' names.[5]

The base of the Conn Smythe Trophy has been expanded twice over the years to accommodate more winners. Although the 16 nameplates on the original base tier were filled up after 1980, a new tier was not added until the 1983–84 season. Following the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs, the 20 nameplates on the new tier were filled, so the first nine winners' nameplates were moved up to the remaining three sides of the foundation tier. The remaining nameplates were shifted accordingly to keep the winners in chronological order. Due to the cancellation of the 2004–05 season, the trophy was not filled again until 2010, after which a new tier was added, making room for 24 more names.

The first winner of the trophy was centre Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens in 1965. The first player and only defenseman to win it twice was Bobby Orr, who scored the Cup-clinching goals for the Boston Bruins in 1970 and 1972. Goaltender Bernie Parent (for the Philadelphia Flyers) and centres Wayne Gretzky (for the Edmonton Oilers), Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby (for the Pittsburgh Penguins) have also won it twice each, with Parent, Lemieux, and Crosby each winning theirs back to back (1974/1975, 1991/1992, and 2016/2017 respectively). Goaltender Patrick Roy is the only three-time Smythe winner and the only player to win the trophy as a member of two different teams (with the Canadiens in 1986 and 1993, and with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001); his wins also fall into three different decades. Ken Dryden, the 1971 Smythe winner, is the only NHL player to win this trophy before winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year (in 1972): Montreal called him up to play only six regular season games. Dave Keon is the only Maple Leafs player to win the trophy donated by his club's parent company, while his eight playoff points in 1967 is the fewest ever by a non-goalie Conn Smythe winner as he was a defensive forward.

Though the trophy rewards a player who performed particularly well over the entirety of the playoffs, it has never been given to a player whose team did not at least reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The trophy has been awarded to members of the team that lost the Finals six times, most recently Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers in 2024. The only two skaters to win the award while his team lost the final round are Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Philadelphia's Reggie Leach, the latter of which won it in 1976, as he had set a league record for most goals in the playoffs (19), which included a five-goal game in the semifinals and four goals in the Finals, even though the Canadiens swept his Flyers.[6] McDavid set the all-time playoff record for assists in 2024 and led the playoffs in scoring by ten points, despite the Florida Panthers defeating his Oilers in seven games.[3]

Ten players born outside of Canada have won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The non-Canadian winners are Americans Brian Leetch, who won it in 1994, Tim Thomas in 2011, Jonathan Quick in 2012, and Patrick Kane in 2013; Russians Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy who won it in 2009, 2018 and 2021, respectively; and Swedes Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Victor Hedman, who won it in 2002, 2008 and 2020, respectively.

Three players have won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player during the regular season in the same year: Orr in 1970 and 1972, Guy Lafleur in 1977, and Wayne Gretzky in 1985. These three players also won the Art Ross Trophy, having scored more points than any other player during the regular season (Orr only in 1970), while Orr also won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as top defenceman to give him a record four individual original NHL awards in 1970.[1][7]

As of 2024, the Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded to centers 20 times, to goaltenders 17 times, to defencemen 12 times, and to right wingers eight times, while the only left wingers to have won the award are Bob Gainey of Montreal in 1979 and Alexander Ovechkin of Washington in 2018. Players with the Montreal Canadiens have received the most Conn Smythe Trophies with nine. Players with the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers have each received five, and the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders have each received four.

Winners

[edit]
Positions key
C Centre
LW Left wing
D Defence
RW Right wing
G Goaltender
  Player is active in the NHL (‡)
  Player is inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame
  Player is not yet eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame
  Player was on the losing team in the Stanley Cup Finals (§)
Conn Smythe Trophy winners
Year Winner Team Stanley Cup Result Position Win #
1965 Jean Beliveau Montreal Canadiens W C 1
1966 Roger Crozier Detroit Red Wings§ L G 1
1967 Dave Keon Toronto Maple Leafs W C 1
1968 Glenn Hall St. Louis Blues§ L G 1
1969 Serge Savard Montreal Canadiens W D 1
1970 Bobby Orr Boston Bruins W D 1
1971 Ken Dryden Montreal Canadiens W G 1
1972 Bobby Orr Boston Bruins W D 2
1973 Yvan Cournoyer Montreal Canadiens W RW 1
1974 Bernie Parent Philadelphia Flyers W G 1
1975 Bernie Parent Philadelphia Flyers W G 2
1976 Reggie Leach Philadelphia Flyers§ L RW 1
1977 Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens W RW 1
1978 Larry Robinson Montreal Canadiens W D 1
1979 Bob Gainey Montreal Canadiens W LW 1
1980 Bryan Trottier New York Islanders W C 1
1981 Butch Goring New York Islanders W C 1
1982 Mike Bossy New York Islanders W RW 1
1983 Billy Smith New York Islanders W G 1
1984 Mark Messier Edmonton Oilers W C 1
1985 Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers W C 1
1986 Patrick Roy Montreal Canadiens W G 1
1987 Ron Hextall Philadelphia Flyers§ L G 1
1988 Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers W C 2
1989 Al MacInnis Calgary Flames W D 1
1990 Bill Ranford Edmonton Oilers W G 1
1991 Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins W C 1
1992 Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins W C 2
1993 Patrick Roy Montreal Canadiens W G 2
1994 Brian Leetch New York Rangers W D 1
1995 Claude Lemieux New Jersey Devils W RW 1
1996 Joe Sakic Colorado Avalanche W C 1
1997 Mike Vernon Detroit Red Wings W G 1
1998 Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings W C 1
1999 Joe Nieuwendyk Dallas Stars W C 1
2000 Scott Stevens New Jersey Devils W D 1
2001 Patrick Roy Colorado Avalanche W G 3
2002 Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit Red Wings W D 1
2003 Jean-Sebastien Giguere Mighty Ducks of Anaheim§ L G 1
2004 Brad Richards Tampa Bay Lightning W C 1
2005 Season cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout
2006 Cam Ward Carolina Hurricanes W G 1
2007 Scott Niedermayer Anaheim Ducks W D 1
2008 Henrik Zetterberg Detroit Red Wings W C 1
2009 Evgeni Malkin‡ Pittsburgh Penguins W C 1
2010 Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks W C 1
2011 Tim Thomas Boston Bruins W G 1
2012 Jonathan Quick‡ Los Angeles Kings W G 1
2013 Patrick Kane‡ Chicago Blackhawks W RW 1
2014 Justin Williams Los Angeles Kings W RW 1
2015 Duncan Keith Chicago Blackhawks W D 1
2016 Sidney Crosby‡ Pittsburgh Penguins W C 1
2017 Sidney Crosby‡ Pittsburgh Penguins W C 2
2018 Alexander Ovechkin‡ Washington Capitals W LW 1
2019 Ryan O'Reilly‡ St. Louis Blues W C 1
2020 Victor Hedman‡ Tampa Bay Lightning W D 1
2021 Andrei Vasilevskiy‡ Tampa Bay Lightning W G 1
2022 Cale Makar‡ Colorado Avalanche W D 1
2023 Jonathan Marchessault‡ Vegas Golden Knights W RW 1
2024 Connor McDavid‡ Edmonton Oilers§ L C 1
  • Jean Beliveau, first recipient of the award, in 1965
    Jean Beliveau, first recipient of the award, in 1965
  • Patrick Roy, the only three-time winner and, as of 2024, the only player in NHL history to win the award with more than one team
    Patrick Roy, the only three-time winner and, as of 2024, the only player in NHL history to win the award with more than one team
  • Bernie Parent, two-time winner and the first player to win the award in consecutive years
    Bernie Parent, two-time winner and the first player to win the award in consecutive years
  • Mario Lemieux, two-time winner and the second player to win the award in consecutive years
    Mario Lemieux, two-time winner and the second player to win the award in consecutive years
  • Sidney Crosby with the trophy, two-time winner and third player to win the award in consecutive years
    Sidney Crosby with the trophy, two-time winner and third player to win the award in consecutive years
  • Connor McDavid, the 2024 winner, and one of six to win the award despite losing the Finals.
    Connor McDavid, the 2024 winner, and one of six to win the award despite losing the Finals.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
General
Specific
  1. ^ a b c "Conn Smythe Trophy". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
  2. ^ "Avalanche's Cale Makar wins Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP". Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  3. ^ a b "Oilers' Connor McDavid wins Conn Smythe Trophy despite not capturing Stanley Cup". Sportsnet.ca. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid wins Conn Smythe Trophy". TSN. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Conn Smythe Trophy History". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  6. ^ "Reggie Joseph Leach". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  7. ^ "Hart Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
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