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 | Sam Bennett Florida Panthers |
The Conn Smythe Trophy (French: Trophée Conn-Smythe) is a special award given out every year in the National Hockey League (NHL). It goes to the player who is considered the "most valuable" for their team during the entire Stanley Cup playoffs. Think of it like the MVP award for the hockey playoffs!
The trophy is named after Conn Smythe, who was a very important person for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. He was their owner, general manager, and even a coach for a long time.
Since the 1964–65 NHL season, the Conn Smythe Trophy has been given out 54 times to 47 different players. After the very last game of the Stanley Cup Final, sports writers who cover hockey vote to pick the winner. The NHL Commissioner then presents the trophy to the chosen player right before the famous Stanley Cup is given out.
Unlike some other sports awards that only look at the final game, the Conn Smythe Trophy is for a player's amazing performance throughout all the playoff games.
The most recent player to win this trophy is Sam Bennett. He won it with the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Contents
History of the Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy was first introduced in 1964. It was created by the company that owned the Toronto Maple Leafs to honor Conn Smythe. He was a key figure in hockey and is even in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
What the Trophy Looks Like
The trophy itself is very unique. In the middle, it has a silver model of Maple Leaf Gardens. This was the famous hockey arena that Conn Smythe helped build, and it was the home of the Maple Leafs for many years. Behind this arena model, there's a large silver maple leaf. The whole thing sits on a wooden base. The names of all the winners are engraved on special maple leaf-shaped plates around the base.
Over the years, the base of the trophy has been made bigger twice. This was done to make sure there was enough space for all the new winners' names!
Famous Winners of the Trophy
The very first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy was Jean Beliveau from the Montreal Canadiens in 1965.
Some players have won the trophy more than once:
- Bobby Orr, a defenseman for the Boston Bruins, won it twice in 1970 and 1972. He even scored the winning goals for the Stanley Cup in both those years!
- Goaltender Bernie Parent (for the Philadelphia Flyers), and centers Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby have also won it twice. Parent, Lemieux, and Crosby even won theirs in back-to-back years!
- Patrick Roy is the only player to win the Smythe Trophy three times. He's also the only player to win it with two different teams: the Canadiens and the Colorado Avalanche. His wins happened in three different decades!
A cool fact is that Ken Dryden won the Smythe Trophy in 1971 before he even won the award for the best rookie player (the Calder Memorial Trophy). This happened because Montreal called him up to play only a few regular season games before he shined in the playoffs.
Winners from Losing Teams
Even though the trophy is for the best player in the playoffs, it has never been given to a player whose team didn't at least make it to the Stanley Cup Final. However, six times, the trophy has been given to a player whose team actually lost the Finals!
The most recent example is Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers in 2024. He set a record for the most assists in the playoffs and led all players in scoring, even though his team lost the final series. Another example is Reggie Leach in 1976. He scored a record number of goals in the playoffs that year, even though his team lost in the Finals.
International Winners
The Conn Smythe Trophy has been won by ten players who were born outside of Canada. These include players from the United States, Russia, and Sweden.
Winning Other Awards Too
Three players have won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy (for the regular season's Most Valuable Player) in the same year: Bobby Orr (twice), Guy Lafleur, and Wayne Gretzky. These players were truly outstanding!
Positions and Teams with the Most Wins
As of 2025, players who play as a center have won the Conn Smythe Trophy the most times (21 times). Goalies have won it 17 times, defensemen 12 times, and right wingers 8 times. Only two left wingers have won it.
The Montreal Canadiens team has had the most Conn Smythe winners, with nine players from their team receiving the award.
Winners
| 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 (§)
Images for kids
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Jean Beliveau, the first player to win the award in 1965.
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Patrick Roy, the only player to win the award three times.
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Bernie Parent, who won the award two years in a row.
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Mario Lemieux, another player who won the award two years in a row.
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Sidney Crosby with the trophy, he also won it two years in a row.
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Sam Bennett, the most recent winner in 2025.
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See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Conn Smythe para niños
