Conn Smythe Trophy

Lore & Background

The Conn Smythe Trophy was introduced in 1964 by Maple Leaf Gardens Limited to honour Conn Smythe, the former owner, general manager and coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder. The centrepiece of the trophy is a stylized silver replica of Maple Leaf Gardens, the arena built under Smythe's ownership of the Maple Leafs, and their home from 1931 to 1999. Backing the arena replica is a large silver botanically accurate maple leaf. The arena replica and leaf are set atop a square wooden foundation, the front of which bears a dedication plaque. Additional tiers below the foundation, sloping outward, contain maple leaf-shaped plates bearing the inscriptions of the winners' names. The base of the Conn Smythe Trophy has been expanded twice over the years to accommodate more winners. Although the 16 nameplates on the original base tier were filled up after 1980, a new tier was not added until the 1983–84 season. Following the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs, the 20 nameplates on the new tier were filled, so the first nine winners' nameplates were moved up to the remaining three sides of the foundation tier. The remaining nameplates were shifted accordingly to keep the winners in chronological order. Due to the cancellation of the 2004–05 season, the trophy was not filled again until 2010, after which a new tier was added, making room for 24 more names.

Reader's Guide

The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 54 times to 47 players since the 1964–65 NHL season. Each year, at the conclusion of the final game of the Stanley Cup Final, members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote to elect the player deserving of the trophy. The trophy is handed out by the NHL Commissioner before the presentation of the Stanley Cup and only the winner is announced, in contrast to most of the other NHL awards which name three finalists and are presented at a ceremony. Vote tallies for the Conn Smythe Trophy were released starting in 2017. The first winner was centre Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens in 1965. The first player and only defenseman to win it twice was Bobby Orr. Goaltender Bernie Parent, centres Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby have also won it twice each, with Parent, Lemieux, and Crosby each winning theirs back to back. Goaltender Patrick Roy is the only three-time Smythe winner and the only player to win the trophy as a member of two different teams. Though the trophy rewards a player who performed particularly well over the entirety of the playoffs, it has never been given to a player whose team did not at least reach the Stanley Cup Final. The trophy has been awarded to members of the team that lost the Finals six times, most recently Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers in 2024. Ten players born outside of Canada have won the Conn Smythe Trophy, including Americans, Russians, and Swedes. Three players have won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same year: Orr, Guy Lafleur, and Wayne Gretzky. As of 2026, the Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded to centers 22 times, to goaltenders 17 times, to defencemen 12 times, and to right wingers eight times, while the only left wingers to have won the award are Bob Gainey and Alexander Ovechkin.

Did You Know?

• Patrick Roy is the only three-time winner and the only player to win with two different teams (Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche).
• Ken Dryden is the only NHL player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy before winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
• Dave Keon is the only Toronto Maple Leafs player to win the trophy donated by his club's parent company.
• Connor McDavid set the all-time playoff record for assists in 2024 while winning the trophy despite his team losing the Stanley Cup Final.