Hart Memorial Trophy

Lore & Background

The Hart Memorial Trophy is named in honour of Canadian Dr. David Hart, who donated the original trophy to the NHL. Dr. Hart was the father of Cecil Hart, a former coach and general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. The trophy was first awarded at the conclusion of the 1923–24 NHL season to Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators. The original Hart Trophy was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960, and the NHL began presenting a new trophy, dubbed the Hart Memorial Trophy, in its place.

Wayne Gretzky won the award a record nine times during his career, eight consecutively. Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers teammate Mark Messier are the only players to win the Hart Trophy with more than one team. Eddie Shore and Herb Gardiner are the oldest winners, each winning at age 35. There have been two unanimous MVP wins, both with the Edmonton Oilers: Wayne Gretzky for the 1981–82 season and Connor McDavid during the 2020–21 season.

Players from the Montreal Canadiens have won the award seventeen times; players from the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers are second with thirteen winners. Joe Thornton became the only Hart Trophy winner to have switched clubs during his winning campaign during the 2005–06 season, having played for both the Bruins and San Jose Sharks that year. The defenseman with the most trophy victories is Eddie Shore, who won four times with Boston. Only eight different goaltenders have won the Hart Trophy, nine times, with Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek being the only two-time winner at that position. The first American to win the award is two-fold: Billy Burch was the first player born in America (Yonkers, New York) to win in 1925, but he identified as Canadian; the first born-and-raised American was Patrick Kane in 2016.

Reader's Guide

The Hart Memorial Trophy is one of the NHL's most prestigious individual honors, recognizing the player deemed most valuable to his team during the regular season. Its history dates to the league's early years, with the original trophy donated by Dr. David Hart in 1923. The award has been presented 99 times to 61 different players, reflecting both sustained excellence and occasional one-time brilliance. Wayne Gretzky's nine wins, including eight consecutive, stand as the benchmark for dominance. The rarity of goaltender winners—only eight different netminders, with Dominik Hasek the sole two-time winner—underscores the difficulty for that position to be considered most valuable. The voting process, conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, uses a 10-7-5-3-1 point system, with three finalists named. The closest vote occurred in 2001–02, when Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla tied in total points, with Theodore winning on first-place votes. The trophy's history also includes unique milestones, such as Joe Thornton being the only winner to change teams mid-season, and the distinction of two unanimous winners, both from the Edmonton Oilers. The award's legacy is further marked by the retirement of the original trophy to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960.

Origins & Legacy

The Hart Memorial Trophy traces its roots to a personal gesture between two generations of a hockey family. In 1923, Dr. David Hart, a Canadian physician, donated the original trophy to the NHL. His motivation was deeply personal: his son Cecil Hart would go on to serve as both head coach and general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, making the family a fixture in the league's early years. The first recipient at the close of the 1923-24 campaign was Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators. For nearly four decades, the original piece traveled from player to player. In 1960, the league retired that original artifact to the Hockey Hall of Fame and introduced a replacement, which carried the upgraded title of Hart Memorial Trophy to honor David Hart's memory. Since its inception, the award has been presented 99 times to 61 distinct players, making it one of the NHL's most enduring individual honors.

Dominant Winners & Records

Wayne Gretzky's dominance over the Hart Trophy remains virtually unmatched in NHL history. He captured the award a record nine times, with eight of those coming in consecutive seasons during his prime with the Edmonton Oilers. Only one other player shares the distinction of winning the Hart with more than one franchise: Mark Messier, his Oilers teammate. On the team side, Montreal Canadiens alumni lead all clubs with seventeen Hart victories, while the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers trail with thirteen each. Eddie Shore stands as the most decorated defenseman in Hart history, collecting four trophies with Boston. Age records belong to Eddie Shore and Herb Gardiner, both claiming the award at thirty-five. The Oilers also produced the only two unanimous selections in the trophy's history: Gretzky in 1981-82 and Connor McDavid in 2020-21.

Voting Process & Close Contests

The Hart Memorial Trophy is determined by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the conclusion of each regular season. Each member of the association submits a ranked ballot of their top five candidates, with points assigned in a 10-7-5-3-1 structure. After all ballots are tallied, three finalists are announced, and the ultimate recipient is formally presented at the NHL Awards ceremony, which takes place after the postseason concludes. The voting has produced only one true tie in the trophy's long history. During the 2001-02 season, Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla finished with identical point totals. The tiebreaker, number of first-place votes, favored Theodore, who collected 86 top votes compared to Iginla's 82. This rare scenario underscores how closely contested the award can be, even in a field where a single player often dominates the ballot.

Positional Diversity & Milestones

While the Hart Trophy is most commonly associated with elite skill players, its history reveals fascinating positional and national diversity. Goaltenders have been notably rare recipients: only eight different netminders have ever won the award, accumulating nine total victories. Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres is the sole goaltender to claim it twice. Defenseman Eddie Shore's four wins remain the positional benchmark for blue-liners. In terms of national representation, the first American distinction is layered. Billy Burch, born in Yonkers, New York, won in 1925 but identified as Canadian due to growing up in the country. Patrick Kane, in 2016, became the first player both born and raised in the United States to receive the honor. Joe Thornton added another unique footnote in 2005-06, becoming the only Hart winner to switch teams mid-campaign, splitting his season between Boston and San Jose.