Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy |
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The Richard Trophy on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Given for | National Hockey League's top goal scorer |
| History | |
| First award | 1998–99 NHL season |
| First winner | Teemu Selanne |
| Most wins | Alexander Ovechkin (9) |
| Most recent | Leon Draisaitl (1) Edmonton Oilers |
The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, often called the Rocket Richard Trophy, is a special award given every year to the player who scores the most goals in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Montreal Canadiens hockey team gave the trophy to the NHL in 1998. It is named after Maurice "Rocket" Richard, a famous right winger who played for the Canadiens. The first player to win the trophy was Teemu Selanne. The current winner is Leon Draisaitl, who scored 52 goals in the 2024–25 season.
Contents
History of the Trophy
The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy was first awarded after the 1998-99 NHL season. It is one of the newer trophies in the NHL. It honors Maurice "Rocket" Richard, who was a star player for the Montreal Canadiens for 18 seasons.
Richard was an amazing goal scorer. He led the NHL in goals five times. He was also the very first player in the league's history to score 500 career goals. In the 1944-45 season, he became the first player to score 50 goals in a single season, and he did it in only 50 games! This is a rare achievement that only a few other players have ever matched.
Winning Multiple Awards
In hockey, there are other important awards. The Art Ross Trophy is for the player with the most points (goals and assists combined). The Hart Memorial Trophy is for the league's most valuable player (MVP).
It's not very common for a player to win both the Richard Trophy and the Hart Trophy in the same year. Only a few players, like Alexander Ovechkin, Auston Matthews, Corey Perry, and Connor McDavid, have done it. Ovechkin has done it three times! McDavid and Ovechkin are the only two players to win the Hart, Rocket Richard, Art Ross, and Ted Lindsay trophies all in the same season.
What Happens in a Tie?
Unlike some other trophies, the Richard Trophy can be shared if there's a tie. There are no tie-breakers. If two or more players score the same number of goals, they all win the trophy for that year.
This has happened a few times:
- In the 2003-04 season, three players tied! Jarome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Rick Nash all scored 41 goals.
- In the 2009-10 season, Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos both scored 51 goals.
- In the 2019-20 season, Alexander Ovechkin and David Pastrnak tied with 48 goals.
Rick Nash was the youngest player to ever win the trophy. He was only 19 years old when he won.
Top Winners
Alexander Ovechkin has won the trophy an incredible nine times. Auston Matthews has won it three times. A few other players, like Pavel Bure, Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, and Steven Stamkos, have each won it twice.
List of Winners
- Key
- (#) Wins including times the player was the top goal scorer before the trophy was created.
- * The season was shorter because of the 2012–13 NHL lockout.
- ** The season was shorter because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Player is still active Player is eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame but not in it yet. Player is no longer active but not yet eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Maurice Richard para niños
- List of past NHL scoring leaders
- List of NHL goal scoring leaders by season
