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Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy facts for kids

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Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
Hhof maurice richard.jpg
The Richard Trophy on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame
Sport Ice hockey
Given for National Hockey League's top goal scorer
History
First award 1998–99 NHL season
Most wins Alexander Ovechkin (9)
Most recent Auston Matthews
Toronto Maple Leafs (3rd trophy)

The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, often called the Rocket Richard Trophy, is a special award in ice hockey. It is given out every year to the player who scores the most goals in the National Hockey League (NHL).

The famous Montreal Canadiens team gave this trophy to the NHL in 1998–99. It is named after a legendary Canadiens player, Maurice "Rocket" Richard. He was an amazing right winger. The first player to win this trophy was Teemu Selanne. Right now, Auston Matthews holds the trophy. He scored 69 goals during the 2023–24 NHL season.

History of the Trophy

Teemu Selanne on the ice November 2010
Teemu Selanne, the first player to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy

The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy was first given out after the 1998–99. It is one of the newer awards in the NHL. The trophy honors Maurice Richard, who played his entire 18-year career with the Montreal Canadiens.

Richard was a goal-scoring machine! He led the NHL in goals five times. He was also the first NHL player to score 500 goals in his career. In 1944–45, Richard made history again. He was the first player to score 50 goals in just 50 games in one season. Only four other players have done this since then.

The Richard Trophy is different from other awards like the Art Ross Trophy. The Art Ross Trophy goes to the player with the most points (goals plus assists). The Hart Memorial Trophy is for the league's most valuable player. Sometimes, a player wins both the Richard Trophy and the Hart Trophy in the same season. Auston Matthews, Alexander Ovechkin, and Corey Perry have done this. Ovechkin has won both three times!

Sometimes, more than one player can win the Richard Trophy. This happens if they score the same number of goals. For example, in the 2003–04 season, three players tied with 41 goals each. They were Jarome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Rick Nash. In 2009–10, Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos both scored 51 goals and shared the award. Rick Nash was the youngest player to win the trophy. He was only 19 years old.

Alexander Ovechkin has won the trophy nine times, which is more than anyone else! Auston Matthews has won it three times. Only a few other players have won it more than once. These include Pavel Bure, Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, and Steven Stamkos. Each of them has won it twice.

Winners of the Trophy

Alexander Ovechkin 1 2016-03-01
Alexander Ovechkin, who has won the trophy nine times
Pavel Bure in Canucks uniform
Pavel Bure, the first player to win the trophy more than once
Sidney Crosby 2013-02-02
Sidney Crosby, a two-time winner
Jarome Iginla. 2008
Jarome Iginla, who won the trophy twice
Steve Stamkos - Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos, a two-time winner
Auston Matthews 7
Auston Matthews, a three-time winner
Key
  • (#) This number includes times a player led the league in goals before the trophy was officially created.
  • * This season was shorter because of an NHL lockout.
  • ** This season was shorter because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

     Player is still playing      Player can be chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame but hasn't been yet      Player has stopped playing but isn't old enough to be chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame yet

Season Winner Team Goals Games #
1998–99 Selanne, TeemuTeemu Selanne Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 47 75 1 (3)
1999–2000 Bure, PavelPavel Bure Florida Panthers 58 74 1 (2)
2000–01 Bure, PavelPavel Bure Florida Panthers 59 82 2 (3)
2001–02 Iginla, JaromeJarome Iginla Calgary Flames 52 82 1
2002–03 Hejduk, MilanMilan Hejduk Colorado Avalanche 50 82 1
2003–04 Nash, RickRick Nash Columbus Blue Jackets 41 80 1
Kovalchuk, IlyaIlya Kovalchuk Atlanta Thrashers 41 81 1
Iginla, JaromeJarome Iginla Calgary Flames 41 81 2
2004–05 Season cancelled because of an NHL lockout
2005–06 Cheechoo, JonathanJonathan Cheechoo San Jose Sharks 56 82 1
2006–07 Lecavalier, VincentVincent Lecavalier Tampa Bay Lightning 52 82 1
2007–08 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 65 82 1
2008–09 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 56 79 2
2009–10 Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 51 81 1
Stamkos, StevenSteven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 51 82 1
2010–11 Perry, CoreyCorey Perry Anaheim Ducks 50 82 1
2011–12 Stamkos, StevenSteven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 60 82 2
2012–13* Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 32 48 3
2013–14 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 51 78 4
2014–15 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 53 81 5
2015–16 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 50 79 6
2016–17 Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 44 75 2
2017–18 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 49 82 7
2018–19 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 51 81 8
2019–20** Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 48 68 9
Pastrnak, DavidDavid Pastrnak Boston Bruins 48 70 1
2020–21** Matthews, AustonAuston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs 41 52 1
2021–22 Matthews, AustonAuston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs 60 73 2
2022–23 McDavid, ConnorConnor McDavid Edmonton Oilers 64 82 1
2023–24 Matthews, AustonAuston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs 69 81 3

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Trofeo Maurice Richard para niños

  • List of past NHL scoring leaders
  • List of NHL goal scoring leaders by season
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