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Lady Byng Memorial Trophy facts for kids

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Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
Ladybyngtrophy.jpg
Sport Ice hockey
Given for player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability
History
First award 1924–25 NHL season
Most wins Frank Boucher (7)
Most recent Jaccob Slavin
Carolina Hurricanes

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is a special award in the National Hockey League (NHL). It is given each year to the player who shows the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly behavior, while also being a really good player. Since it was first given out in 1925, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy has been awarded 89 times to 53 different players. The first trophy was given to the league by Lady Byng of Vimy. She was the wife of Canada's Governor General at the time.

Hockey writers vote for the winner at the end of the regular season. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association choose their top five players. They give points to each player (10, 7, 5, 3, or 1 point). Three players are chosen as finalists. The trophy is then given out at the NHL Awards ceremony after the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

History of the Lady Byng Trophy

The trophy is named after Marie Evelyn Moreton (Lady Byng). She was the wife of Viscount Byng of Vimy. He was the Governor General of Canada from 1921 to 1926. Lady Byng loved hockey. She decided to give the trophy to the NHL in the 1924–25 season.

Lady Byng chose the first winner herself. It was Frank Nighbor from the original Ottawa Senators team. Near the end of that season, she invited Nighbor to Rideau Hall, which is where the Governor General lives. She showed him the trophy and asked if the NHL would accept it. She wanted it to be an award for the most gentlemanly player. Nighbor said yes, and to his surprise, Lady Byng gave him the trophy right then!

Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers won the award seven times in just eight years. Lady Byng was so impressed that she let him keep the original trophy. She then gave a second trophy to the NHL in the 1935–36 season. When Lady Byng passed away in 1949, the NHL created another trophy. They also changed the award's official name to the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. Sadly, the original trophy was destroyed in a fire at Boucher's home in 1962.

Amazing Award Winners

Many players have won this award more than once. Besides Frank Boucher, Wayne Gretzky won it five times. Red Kelly and Pavel Datsyuk each won it four times. Bobby Bauer, Alex Delvecchio, Mike Bossy, Martin St. Louis, and Ron Francis all won it three times. Because Frank Boucher won it so many times, the New York Rangers team has won the award 14 times. The Detroit Red Wings have also won it 14 times. The Toronto Maple Leafs have nine wins. The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins are tied with eight wins each. The Los Angeles Kings have won it six times. Adam Oates was a finalist six times but never won the trophy.

Five players have won both the Lady Byng Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same season. The Hart Memorial Trophy is given to the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP). These players are Buddy O'Connor (1947–48), Bobby Hull (1964–65), Stan Mikita (1966–67 and 1967–68), Wayne Gretzky (1979–80), and Joe Sakic (2000–01). Stan Mikita is the only player to win the Hart, Art Ross (for most points), and Lady Byng trophies in the same season. He did this two years in a row! Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Hull, and Martin St. Louis also won all three awards, but not in the same season. Bobby Hull and his son Brett Hull are the only father-son pair to win both the Hart and Lady Byng trophies.

Only a few defensemen have won the Lady Byng Trophy. They are Bill Quackenbush, Jaccob Slavin, Red Kelly, and Brian Campbell. Kelly and Slavin are the only defensemen to win it more than once. Kelly holds the record for defensemen with three wins (and four overall). After Kelly, no defenseman won the award for 58 years. This changed in 2012 when Brian Campbell won it. No goaltender has ever won this award.

List of Winners

Positions key
C Centre
RW Right wing
LW Left wing
D Defence
G Goaltender

     Player is still active in the NHL      Eligible player not yet elected to Hockey Hall of Fame      Inactive player not yet eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame

Seasonal Winner Team Position Win # GP PIM Avg
1924–25 Frank Nighbor Ottawa Senators C 1 26 18 0.69
1925–26 Frank Nighbor Ottawa Senators C 2 35 40 1.14
1926–27 Billy Burch New York Americans C 1 43 40 0.93
1927–28 Frank Boucher New York Rangers C 1 44 15 0.34
1928–29 Frank Boucher New York Rangers C 2 44 8 0.18
1929–30 Frank Boucher New York Rangers C 3 42 16 0.38
1930–31 Frank Boucher New York Rangers C 4 44 20 0.46
1931–32 Joe Primeau Toronto Maple Leafs C 1 45 25 0.56
1932–33 Frank Boucher New York Rangers C 5 46 4 0.09
1933–34 Frank Boucher New York Rangers C 6 48 4 0.08
1934–35 Frank Boucher New York Rangers C 7 48 2 0.04
1935–36 Elwin "Doc" Romnes Chicago Black Hawks C 1 48 6 0.13
1936–37 Marty Barry Detroit Red Wings C 1 47 6 0.13
1937–38 Gordie Drillon Toronto Maple Leafs RW 1 48 4 0.08
1938–39 Clint Smith New York Rangers C 1 48 2 0.04
1939–40 Bobby Bauer Boston Bruins RW 1 48 2 0.04
1940–41 Bobby Bauer Boston Bruins RW 2 48 2 0.04
1941–42 Syl Apps Toronto Maple Leafs C 1 38 0 0.00
1942–43 Max Bentley Chicago Black Hawks C 1 47 2 0.04
1943–44 Clint Smith Chicago Black Hawks C 2 50 4 0.08
1944–45 Bill Mosienko Chicago Black Hawks RW 1 50 0 0.00
1945–46 Toe Blake Montreal Canadiens LW 1 50 2 0.04
1946–47 Bobby Bauer Boston Bruins RW 3 58 4 0.07
1947–48 Buddy O'Connor New York Rangers C 1 60 8 0.13
1948–49 Bill Quackenbush Detroit Red Wings D 1 60 0 0.00
1949–50 Edgar Laprade New York Rangers C 1 60 2 0.03
1950–51 Red Kelly Detroit Red Wings D 1 70 24 0.34
1951–52 Sid Smith Toronto Maple Leafs LW 1 70 6 0.09
1952–53 Red Kelly Detroit Red Wings D 2 70 8 0.11
1953–54 Red Kelly Detroit Red Wings D 3 62 18 0.29
1954–55 Sid Smith Toronto Maple Leafs LW 2 70 14 0.20
1955–56 Earl Reibel Detroit Red Wings C 1 68 10 0.15
1956–57 Andy Hebenton New York Rangers RW 1 70 10 0.14
1957–58 Camille Henry New York Rangers LW 1 70 2 0.03
1958–59 Alex Delvecchio Detroit Red Wings LW 1 70 6 0.09
1959–60 Don McKenney Boston Bruins C 1 70 28 0.40
1960–61 Red Kelly Toronto Maple Leafs C 4 64 12 0.19
1961–62 Dave Keon Toronto Maple Leafs C 1 64 2 0.03
1962–63 Dave Keon Toronto Maple Leafs C 2 68 2 0.03
1963–64 Kenny Wharram Chicago Black Hawks RW 1 70 18 0.26
1964–65 Bobby Hull Chicago Black Hawks LW 1 61 32 0.52
1965–66 Alex Delvecchio Detroit Red Wings C 2 70 16 0.23
1966–67 Stan Mikita Chicago Black Hawks C 1 70 12 0.17
1967–68 Stan Mikita Chicago Black Hawks C 2 72 14 0.19
1968–69 Alex Delvecchio Detroit Red Wings C 3 72 8 0.11
1969–70 Phil Goyette St. Louis Blues C 1 72 16 0.22
1970–71 Johnny Bucyk Boston Bruins LW 1 78 8 0.10
1971–72 Jean Ratelle New York Rangers C 1 63 4 0.06
1972–73 Gilbert Perreault Buffalo Sabres C 1 78 10 0.13
1973–74 Johnny Bucyk Boston Bruins LW 2 76 8 0.11
1974–75 Marcel Dionne Detroit Red Wings C 1 80 14 0.18
1975–76 Jean Ratelle Boston Bruins C 2 80 18 0.23
1976–77 Marcel Dionne Los Angeles Kings C 2 80 12 0.15
1977–78 Robert "Butch" Goring Los Angeles Kings C 1 80 2 0.03
1978–79 Bob MacMillan Atlanta Flames C 1 77 14 0.18
1979–80 Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers C 1 79 21 0.27
1980–81 Rick Kehoe Pittsburgh Penguins RW 1 80 6 0.08
1981–82 Rick Middleton Boston Bruins RW 1 75 12 0.16
1982–83 Mike Bossy New York Islanders RW 1 79 20 0.25
1983–84 Mike Bossy New York Islanders RW 2 67 8 0.12
1984–85 Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers RW 1 73 30 0.41
1985–86 Mike Bossy New York Islanders RW 3 80 14 0.18
1986–87 Joe Mullen Calgary Flames RW 1 79 14 0.18
1987–88 Mats Naslund Montreal Canadiens LW 1 78 14 0.18
1988–89 Joe Mullen Calgary Flames RW 2 79 16 0.20
1989–90 Brett Hull St. Louis Blues RW 1 80 24 0.30
1990–91 Wayne Gretzky Los Angeles Kings C 2 78 16 0.21
1991–92 Wayne Gretzky Los Angeles Kings C 3 74 34 0.46
1992–93 Pierre Turgeon New York Islanders C 1 83 26 0.31
1993–94 Wayne Gretzky Los Angeles Kings C 4 81 20 0.25
1994–95 Ron Francis Pittsburgh Penguins C 1 44 18 0.41
1995–96 Paul Kariya Mighty Ducks of Anaheim LW 1 82 20 0.24
1996–97 Paul Kariya Mighty Ducks of Anaheim LW 2 69 6 0.09
1997–98 Ron Francis Pittsburgh Penguins C 2 81 20 0.25
1998–99 Wayne Gretzky New York Rangers C 5 70 14 0.20
1999–2000 Pavol Demitra St. Louis Blues C 1 71 8 0.11
2000–01 Joe Sakic Colorado Avalanche C 1 82 30 0.37
2001–02 Ron Francis Carolina Hurricanes C 3 80 18 0.23
2002–03 Alexander Mogilny Toronto Maple Leafs RW 1 73 12 0.16
2003–04 Brad Richards Tampa Bay Lightning C 1 82 12 0.15
2004–05 Season cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–06 Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings C 1 75 22 0.29
2006–07 Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings C 2 79 20 0.25
2007–08 Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings C 3 82 20 0.24
2008–09 Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings C 4 81 22 0.27
2009–10 Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning RW 1 82 12 0.15
2010–11 Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning RW 2 82 12 0.15
2011–12 Brian Campbell Florida Panthers D 1 82 6 0.07
2012–13 Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning RW 3 48 14 0.29
2013–14 Ryan O'Reilly Colorado Avalanche C 1 80 2 0.03
2014–15 Jiri Hudler Calgary Flames RW 1 78 14 0.18
2015–16 Anze Kopitar Los Angeles Kings C 1 81 16 0.20
2016–17 Johnny Gaudreau Calgary Flames LW 1 72 4 0.06
2017–18 William Karlsson Vegas Golden Knights C 1 82 12 0.15
2018–19 Aleksander Barkov Florida Panthers C 1 82 8 0.10
2019–20 Nathan MacKinnon Colorado Avalanche C 1 69 12 0.17
2020–21 Jaccob Slavin Carolina Hurricanes D 1 52 2 0.04
2021–22 Kyle Connor Winnipeg Jets LW 1 79 4 0.05
2022–23 Anze Kopitar Los Angeles Kings C 2 82 4 0.05
2023–24 Jaccob Slavin Carolina Hurricanes D 2 81 8 0.10

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Trofeo Lady Byng para niños

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