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 | Jonathan Marchessault Vegas Golden Knights |
The Conn Smythe Trophy is a special award given each year to the best player in the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It's like being named the "Most Valuable Player" (MVP) for the entire playoff season. This award is named after Conn Smythe, who was a very important person for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team 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 final game of the Stanley Cup Finals, sports writers who cover hockey vote for the player they think deserves the trophy. The winner is announced right before the famous Stanley Cup is presented. Unlike many other NHL awards, only the winner is revealed, not a list of finalists.
The Conn Smythe Trophy is unique because it's given for a player's performance throughout all the playoff games, not just the final championship series. This means a player needs to be amazing for weeks, not just one game! The most recent winner is Jonathan Marchessault.
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History of the Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy was created in 1964 to honor Conn Smythe. He was a key figure for the Toronto Maple Leafs, serving as owner, general manager, and coach. He's also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The trophy itself is quite special. Its main part is a silver model of Maple Leaf Gardens, which was the arena Smythe helped build for the Maple Leafs. This arena was their home from 1931 to 1999. Behind the arena model is a large silver maple leaf. The whole thing sits on a wooden base where the winners' names are carved onto maple leaf-shaped plates.
Over the years, the trophy's base has been made bigger twice to fit all the new winners' names. This shows how many great players have won it!
Famous Winners
The very first player to win the trophy was centre Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens in 1965.
Some players have won the trophy more than once:
- Bobby Orr was the first player and only defenseman to win it twice (in 1970 and 1972). He even scored the winning goals for the Boston Bruins in 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 won theirs in a row.
- Patrick Roy is the only player to win the trophy three times! He also won it with two different teams: the Canadiens in 1986 and 1993, and the Colorado Avalanche in 2001.
A unique winner was Ken Dryden in 1971. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy before winning the award for the best rookie player! This happened because he only played a few regular season games that year.
Winning Without the Cup
Even though the trophy is for the best playoff player, it has never been given to a player whose team didn't at least reach the Stanley Cup Finals. However, five players have won the award even when their team lost in the Finals. The most recent was Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003. He was a goalie for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and played incredibly well, helping his team get to the Finals.
International Winners
The Conn Smythe Trophy isn't just for Canadian players. Ten players born outside of Canada have won it. These include Americans like Brian Leetch and Patrick Kane, Russians like Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin, and Swedes like Nicklas Lidstrom and Victor Hedman.
Multiple Awards in One Year
Only 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 (1970 and 1972)
- Guy Lafleur (1977)
- Wayne Gretzky (1985)
These players were truly dominant in their seasons!
Winners by Position and Team
As of 2023, centers have won the Conn Smythe Trophy the most times (19 times). Goaltenders have won it 17 times, defensemen 12 times, and wingers 10 times.
The Montreal Canadiens team has had the most Conn Smythe Trophy winners with nine. The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins each have five winners.
Winners
| C | Centre |
|---|---|
| LW | Left wing |
| D | Defence |
| RW | Right wing |
| G | Goaltender |
- Player is still active in the NHL (
) - Player was a member of the defeated team in the Stanley Cup Final (§)
- Player is inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame
- Player is not yet eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame
By position
Conn Smythe Trophy winners by position
| Position | Total |
|---|---|
| Centre | 19 |
| Goaltender | 17 |
| Defenceman | 12 |
| Winger | 10 |
Images for kids
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Jean Beliveau, the first person to win this award, in 1965.
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Patrick Roy, the only player to win the award three times and with two different teams.
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Bernie Parent, who won the award two times in a row.
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Mario Lemieux, another two-time winner who won in consecutive years.
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Sidney Crosby with the trophy, he also won it two times in a row.
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Jonathan Marchessault, the most recent winner of the award in 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Conn Smythe para niños
