Conn Smythe Trophy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Conn Smythe Trophy |
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
| League | National Hockey League |
| Given for | "Most valuable player for his team" in the Stanley Cup Playoffs |
| History | |
| First award | 1964–65 NHL season |
| First winner | Jean Beliveau |
| Most wins | Patrick Roy (3) |
| Most recent | Jordan Staal Carolina Hurricanes (2026) |
The Conn Smythe Trophy (French: Trophée Conn-Smythe) is a special award in ice hockey. It goes to the most valuable player (MVP) of their team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) exciting Stanley Cup playoffs. This trophy is named after Conn Smythe, a very important person who owned, managed, and coached the Toronto Maple Leafs for many years.
Since the 1964–65 NHL season, the Conn Smythe Trophy has been given out 54 times to 47 different players. Every year, after the very last game of the Stanley Cup Final, sports writers who follow hockey vote for the player they think deserves the award. The NHL Commissioner presents the trophy right before the famous Stanley Cup is given out. Only the winner is announced, which is different from many other NHL awards that name three finalists.
What makes the Conn Smythe Trophy unique is that it's for a player's amazing performance throughout the entire NHL postseason, not just one final game or series. The most recent player to win this honor was Jordan Staal. He earned it with the Carolina Hurricanes after the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
Contents
Discovering the Conn Smythe Trophy
What Does the Trophy Look Like?
The Conn Smythe Trophy first appeared in 1964. It was created to honor Conn Smythe, a legendary figure in hockey. He was a former owner, general manager, and coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.
The trophy itself is quite special. Its main part is a shiny silver model of Maple Leaf Gardens. This was the famous arena built when Smythe owned the Maple Leafs. It was their home from 1931 to 1999. Behind this arena model is a big silver maple leaf, just like the real ones.
Both the arena model and the leaf sit on a square wooden base. The front of this base has a special plaque. Below this, there are more levels that hold plates shaped like maple leaves. These plates have the names of all the trophy winners carved into them.
Over the years, the trophy's base has grown bigger. This was needed to make space for all the new winners. For example, after the 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs, the first 16 nameplates were full. More space was added later. After the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs, even more names were added. The trophy was not awarded in 2005 because the season was cancelled. A new tier was added after the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, creating space for many more champions.
Amazing Players Who Won the Conn Smythe
The very first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy was Jean Beliveau. He was a center for the Montreal Canadiens in 1965.
Some players have won the trophy more than once! Bobby Orr, a defenceman, won it twice for the Boston Bruins. He even scored the winning goals for the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972. Other two-time winners include Goaltender Bernie Parent (for the Philadelphia Flyers), and centers Wayne Gretzky (for the Edmonton Oilers), Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby (for the Pittsburgh Penguins). Parent, Lemieux, and Crosby all won their awards in back-to-back years!
Patrick Roy is the only player to win the Smythe Trophy three times. He is also the only player to win it with two different teams. He won with the Canadiens in 1986 and 1993. Then he won again with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. His wins even happened in three different decades!
A cool fact: Ken Dryden won the Smythe Trophy in 1971. He won it before winning the Calder Trophy as the best rookie player. This happened because Montreal called him up to play only six regular season games. Dave Keon is the only player from the Toronto Maple Leafs to win this trophy. He won it in 1967.
The trophy is always given to a player whose team made it to the Stanley Cup Final. However, sometimes a player from the losing team can still win it! This has happened six times. Most recently, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers won it in 2024. He set a record for assists in the 2024 and led all players in scoring. This was amazing, even though the Florida Panthers beat his team in the final series. Another skater, Reggie Leach of the Flyers, won it in 1976. He scored a record 19 goals in those playoffs!
Many international players have also won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Ten winners were born outside of Canada. These include Americans like Brian Leetch (1994) and Patrick Kane (2013). Russian players like Evgeni Malkin (2009) and Alexander Ovechkin (2018) have also won. Swedish stars such as Nicklas Lidstrom (2002) and Victor Hedman (2020) are also on the list.
Some players have had truly incredible seasons! Three players won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same year. The Hart Trophy is for the Most Valuable Player during the regular season. These players were Bobby Orr (in 1970 and 1972), Guy Lafleur (1977), and Wayne Gretzky (1985). Orr also won the Art Ross Trophy (most points) and the James Norris Memorial Trophy (top defenceman) in 1970. This gave him a record four major NHL awards that year!
As of 2026, centers have won the Conn Smythe Trophy 22 times. Goaltenders have won it 17 times, and defencemen 12 times. Right wingers have won it eight times. Only two left wingers have won: Bob Gainey (1979) and Alexander Ovechkin (2018). The Montreal Canadiens team has had the most Conn Smythe winners, with nine. The Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers each have five winners. The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders each have four.
Conn Smythe Trophy Winners List
Here is a list of all the amazing players who have won the Conn Smythe Trophy. The table shows the year they won, their team, their position, and how many times they have won.
| 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's team lost the Stanley Cup Final (§)
Images for kids
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Jean Beliveau, first recipient of the award, in 1965
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Patrick Roy, the only three-time winner and, as of 2026[update], the only player in NHL history to win the award with more than one team
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Bernie Parent, two-time winner and the first player to win the award in consecutive years
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Mario Lemieux, two-time winner and the second player to win the award in consecutive years
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Sidney Crosby with the trophy, two-time winner and third player to win the award in consecutive years
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Sam Bennett, the 2025 winner
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Jordan Staal, the 2026 winner
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See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Conn Smythe para niños
