National Hockey League awards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Hockey League presents numerous annual awards and trophies to recognize its teams and players. The oldest, and most recognizable, is the Stanley Cup. First awarded in 1893, the Stanley Cup is awarded to the NHL's playoff champion. The Stanley Cup is the third trophy to be used as the league's championship, as for the first nine years of the NHL's existence, it remained a multi-league challenge cup.[1]
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[edit] History
The NHL's first championship trophy was the O'Brien Trophy, which was created by the National Hockey Association in 1910 and was acquired by the NHL in 1918, after which it was awarded to the playoff champion until 1923.[2] The O'Brien Trophy was retired in favour of the Prince of Wales Trophy in 1924, which became the league's championship until the demise of the Western Hockey League following the 1926 season, leaving the Stanley Cup exclusively in the hands of the National Hockey League.
The Prince of Wales Trophy remains an active award. It is presently awarded to the playoff champion of the Eastern Conference, while the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, created in 1967, is currently awarded to the Western Conference champion. The youngest team trophy is the Presidents' Trophy, which has been awarded to the NHL's regular season champion since 1986.
The first individual trophy was the Hart Trophy, first awarded in 1924 to the league's most valuable player. The Lady Byng Trophy followed a year later, awarded to the most gentlemanly player in the league. Two years later, the Vezina Trophy was created for the NHL's top goaltender. The Conn Smythe Trophy was first awarded to the NHL's playoff most valuable player in 1965. Presently, the NHL has 17 annual individual trophies and awards, the most recently created being the Mark Messier Leadership Award, first awarded in 2007.
[edit] Team trophies
| Award | Created | Description | Current holder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Stanley Cup | 1893 | Awarded to the NHL playoff champion since 1927. Previously it was a challenge cup (1893-1914) and then an interleague championship trophy (1915-1926)[3] | Detroit Red Wings |
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Prince of Wales Trophy | 1924 | Awarded to the Eastern Conference playoff champion, since 1994. Previously awarded as the NHL playoff championship (1924-1926), the regular season championship (1927, 1939-1967), the American Division championship (1928-1938), East Division championship (1968-1974) and Wales Conference championship (1975-1993)[4] | Pittsburgh Penguins |
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Clarence S. Campbell Bowl | 1968 | Awarded to the Western Conference playoff champion, since 1994. Previously awarded as the West Division title (1968-1974) and Campbell Conference championship (1975-1993)[5] | Detroit Red Wings |
| Presidents' Trophy | 1986 | Awarded to the club finishing the regular season with the best overall record (based on points)[6] | Detroit Red Wings | |
| O'Brien Trophy | 1910 | Awarded by the National Hockey Association (1910-1917) and NHL (1918-1923) to the league playoff champion, Canadian Division regular season champion (1927-1938), and Stanley Cup runner-up (1939-1950)[2] | Retired in 1950 |
[edit] Individual trophies and awards
| Image | Award | Created | Description | Current holder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Hart Memorial Trophy | 1924 | Awarded to the league's most valuable player[7] | Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins |
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Lady Byng Memorial Trophy | 1925 | Awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability[8] | Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings |
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Vezina Trophy | 1927 | Awarded to the league's top goaltender[9] | Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils |
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Calder Memorial Trophy | 1937 | Awarded to the league's most outstanding rookie player[10] | Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins |
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Art Ross Trophy | 1948 | Awarded to the player who leads the league in total points at the end of the regular season[11] | Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals |
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James Norris Memorial Trophy | 1954 | Awarded to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position[12] | Nicklas Lidström Detroit Red Wings |
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Conn Smythe Trophy | 1965 | Awarded to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs[13] | Henrik Zetterberg Detroit Red Wings |
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Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy | 1968 | Awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey[14] | Phil Kessel Boston Bruins |
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Lester B. Pearson Award | 1971 | Awarded to the NHL's outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHL Players Association[15] | Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins |
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Jack Adams Award | 1974 | Awarded to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success[16] | Alain Vigneault Vancouver Canucks |
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Frank J. Selke Trophy | 1978 | Awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game[17] | Rod Brind'Amour Carolina Hurricanes |
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William M. Jennings Trophy | 1982 | Awarded to the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it in the regular season[18] | Dominik Hasek & Chris Osgood Detroit Red Wings |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award | 1983 | Awarded to the player with the highest plus/minus statistic in the regular season[19] | Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings |
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King Clancy Memorial Trophy | 1988 | Awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community[20] | Saku Koivu Montreal Canadiens |
| NHL Foundation Player Award | 1998 | Awarded to the player who applies the core values of hockey to enrich the lives of people in his community[21] | Joe Sakic Colorado Avalanche |
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Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy | 1999 | Awarded to the top goal scorer in the regular season[22] | Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals |
| Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award | 2000 | Awarded to the goaltender who has played a minimum of 25 games in the regular season and has the highest save percentage[23][24] | Dan Ellis Nashville Predators |
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| Mark Messier Leadership Award | 2007 | Awarded to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season[25] | Mats Sundin Toronto Maple Leafs |
The league has also given some ephemeral awards over the years, including the NHL/Sheraton Road Performer Award Winner, to be awarded to the player who accrued the most road points during the regular season. It was awarded to Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche in 2004 and not subsequently.
[edit] See also
- Lester Patrick Trophy - presented, in part by the NHL, for contributions to hockey in the United States, but not considered an NHL award
- Hockey Hall of Fame
- List of All-Star First-Team NHL hockey players
[edit] References
- ^ Stanley Cup history. legendsofhockey.net. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
- ^ a b O'Brien Trophy. legendsofhockey.net. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Stanley Cup history. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Prince of Wales Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Presidents' Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Hart Memorial Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Lady Byng Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Vezina Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Calder Memorial Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Art Ross Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ James Norris Memorial Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Conn Smythe Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Lester B. Pearson Award. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Jack Adams Award. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Frank J. Selke Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ William M. Jennings Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ NHL Plus/Minus Award. statshockey.homestead.com. Stats Hockey. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ King Clancy Memorial Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Maurice Richard Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Maurice Richard Trophy. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Roger Crozier profile. legendsofhockey.net. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Niklas Backstrom profile. tsn.ca. TSN. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
- ^ Chris Chelios receives Messier Leader of the Year Award. nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
[edit] External links
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