Hart Memorial Trophy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hart Memorial Trophy |
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Given for | Most Valuable Player to his team in regular season of the National Hockey League |
| History | |
| First award | 1924 |
| Most wins | Wayne Gretzky (9) |
| Most recent | Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers |
The Hart Memorial Trophy is a super important award in the world of ice hockey. It's given out every year to the player who is judged to be the most valuable player (MVP) for their team in the National Hockey League (NHL). Hockey writers from the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote on who wins this special award.
The original trophy was first given to the league in 1923. It was a gift from David Hart, whose son, Cecil Hart, was a famous coach for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team for a long time. Since it started in the 1923–24 season, the Hart Trophy has been awarded 99 times to 61 different amazing players.
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What is the Hart Memorial Trophy?
A Special Award for Top Players
The Hart Memorial Trophy is named after Dr. David Hart from Canada. He was the one who first gave the trophy to the NHL. His son, Cecil Hart, was a coach and general manager for the Montreal Canadiens.
The very first player to win this award was Frank Nighbor from the original Ottawa Senators team. This happened at the end of the 1923–24 NHL season.
From Hart Trophy to Hart Memorial Trophy
The first "Hart Trophy" was used until 1960. Then, it was moved to the Hockey Hall of Fame so everyone could see it. The NHL then started giving out a new trophy, which they called the "Hart Memorial Trophy." It's the same award, just a new trophy!
Almost every player who has won the Hart Trophy has also been chosen to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Only a few players, like Tommy Anderson, Al Rollins, and Jose Theodore, won the award but are not yet in the Hall of Fame.
Record-Breaking Winners
One of the most famous winners is Wayne Gretzky. He won the award a record nine times during his career! Eight of those wins were in a row. Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers teammate Mark Messier are the only players who have won the Hart Trophy while playing for more than one team.
Two players have won the MVP award by getting all the votes, meaning every voter picked them as number one. This is called a "unanimous" win. These players are Wayne Gretzky in the 1981–82 NHL season and Connor McDavid in the 2020–21 NHL season.
Teams with Many Winners
Players from the Montreal Canadiens have won the Hart Trophy more than any other team, with seventeen wins. The Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers are next, with thirteen winners each.
Joe Thornton had a unique win in the 2005–06 NHL season. He is the only Hart Trophy winner who played for two different teams in the same season (the Bruins and San Jose Sharks) before winning the award.
It's pretty rare for a goaltender (the goalie) to win this award. It has only happened eight times in history, with seven different goalies. Dominik Hasek is the only goalie to win it twice.
How the Winner is Chosen
The Voting Process
At the end of the regular hockey season, members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the Hart Trophy winner. Each voter chooses their top five players. They give points based on their ranking: 10 points for first place, 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, and 1 for fifth.
After all the votes are counted, the top three players are announced as finalists. The winner is then revealed at the NHL Awards ceremony, which happens after the playoffs are over.
Close Votes in History
The closest vote for the Hart Trophy happened in the 2001–02 NHL season. Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla ended up with the same total number of points! To break the tie, they looked at who had more first-place votes. Theodore won because he had 86 first-place votes, while Iginla had 82.
Winners of the Hart Memorial Trophy
| ^ | This means the player is still playing in the NHL. |
| * | This means the player has been added to the Hockey Hall of Fame. |
| ~ | This means the player is no longer playing but isn't yet old enough to be considered for the Hall of Fame. |
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This means the player's team also won the Stanley Cup that year. |
| Player (X) | This shows how many times the player had won the Hart Trophy up to that point. |
| Team (X) | This shows how many times a player from this team had won the award up to that point. |
Images for kids
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The first winner of the original trophy, Frank Nighbor
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Elmer Lach with the original trophy in 1945
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Nels Stewart, a two-time winner
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Bobby Clarke, a three-time winner
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Wayne Gretzky, who won a record nine times
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Mario Lemieux, a three-time winner
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Sergei Fedorov, the first European-trained player to win it
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Alexander Ovechkin, a three-time winner
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Sidney Crosby, a two-time winner
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Joe Thornton, the only player to switch teams during his winning season
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Connor McDavid, a three-time winner
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See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Hart para niños
- Ted Lindsay Award
- List of NHL statistical leaders
