TheNational Hockey League presents numerous annual awards and trophies to recognize its teams and players. The oldest, and most recognizable, is theStanley 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]
Most of the trophies and all-star selections are presented at an annual awards ceremony held in late June after the conclusion of theStanley Cup playoffs. The awards for the2019–20 season were handed out during the last two rounds of the playoffs.
The NHL's first championship trophy was theO'Brien Cup, which was created by theNational Hockey Association in 1910 and transferred to the NHL in 1918, after which it was awarded to the playoff champion until 1927. Following the demise of theWestern Hockey League after the 1926 season, the Stanley Cup became exclusive to the NHL, and the O'Brien Trophy became the Trophy awarded to theCanadian Division champion. After the 1938 season, the league reverted to one division, and the O'Brien Trophy was awarded to the Stanley Cup runners-up, until it was retired in 1950.
ThePrince of Wales Trophy was introduced in 1925 as an award for the NHL's playoff champion (alongside the O'Brien Trophy). It soon became theAmerican Division trophy following the 1927–28 season, until the 1937–38 season, when the league reverted to one division. It then became the award for best regular season record, before becoming the East Division trophy in 1967–68. The Prince of Wales Trophy remains an active award. It is awarded to the playoff champion of theEastern Conference.
TheClarence S. Campbell Bowl was created in 1967 to serve as the Western Division counterpart to the Prince of Wales Trophy. It is now awarded to theWestern Conference champion.
The youngest team trophy is thePresidents' Trophy. It has been awarded to the NHL's regular season champion since 1986.
The first individual trophy was theHart Trophy, first awarded in 1924 to the league's most valuable player. This trophy was replaced by the currentHart Memorial Trophy in 1960 when the original Hart trophy became too unwieldy.[2] TheLady Byng Trophy followed in 1925, a year later, awarded to the most gentlemanly player in the league. Two years later, theVezina Trophy was created for the NHL's top goaltender. TheConn Smythe Trophy was first awarded to the NHL's playoff most valuable player in 1965. Presently, the NHL has 18 annual individual trophies and awards, the most recently created being theJim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award which was inaugurated in 2010.
Out of the original individual NHL trophies that were awarded prior toexpansion (which would be followed by the creation of more individual awards), several players are tied with three awards in the same season.Stan Mikita won theHart,Art Ross, andLady Byng trophies, doing so consecutively in the 1966–67 and 1967–68 seasons.[3]Guy Lafleur andWayne Gretzky have each won the Art Ross, Hart, and Conn Smythe trophies, as well as the Cup, in 1976–77 and 1984–85, respectively.Bobby Orr won the Hart,Norris, andConn Smythe trophies, along with the Stanley Cup, in1969–70 and 1971–72. In 1970, Orr also won the Art Ross which makes him the only player to capture four original NHL awards in a single season (Orr also earned an NHL First Team selection, and the only honor which he was eligible for but did not win was the Lady Byng due to his physical style of play).[4][5]
In addition, theFirst and second All-Star teams have been named since the1930–31 NHL season to honor the best performers over the season at each position, as well as theNHL All-Rookie Team from 1983 onwards.
Some of these individual trophies are automatically awarded to players based on their statistics during the regular season, most notably the Art Ross Trophy, Richard Trophy and Jennings Trophy. Other individual trophies are voted on by theProfessional Hockey Writers' Association or the team general managers.
| Image | Award | Created | Description | Current holder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Stanley Cup | 1893 | Awarded to the NHL playoff champion. Previously it was achallenge cup (1893–1914) and then an interleague championship trophy (1915–26). Named afterLord Stanley of Preston, the 6thGovernor General of Canada, who donated the original cup.[6] | Florida Panthers |
 | Prince of Wales Trophy | 1925–26 | Awarded to theEastern Conference playoff champion. Previously awarded as the NHL playoff championship (1925–27), the American Division Champion (1928–38), the regular season championship (1939–67), East Division championship (1968–74) andWales Conference championship (1975–93). Named afterEdward, Prince of Wales, who donated the trophy to the league in 1924.[7] It was first awarded to the winner of the first game inMadison Square Garden in 1925.[8] | Florida Panthers |
 | Clarence S. Campbell Bowl | 1967–68 | Awarded to theWestern Conference playoff champion. Previously awarded as the West Division title (1968–74) andCampbell Conference championship (1975–93). Named afterClarence Campbell, the thirdNHL President.[9] | Edmonton Oilers |
 | Presidents' Trophy | 1985–86 | Awarded to the club finishing the regular season with the best overall record (based on points).[10] | Winnipeg Jets |
 | O'Brien Trophy | 1910 | Awarded by theNational Hockey Association (1910–17) and NHL (1918–27) to the league playoff champion, Canadian Division regular season champion (1928–38), and Stanley Cup runner-up (1939–50). It was originally donated to the NHA byCanadian SenatorM. J. O'Brien, in recognition of his son, NHA founderAmbrose O'Brien.[11] | Last awarded in1949–50 |
| Image | Award | Created | Description | Current holder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hart Memorial Trophy | 1923–24 | Awarded to the "player judged most valuable to his team". The original trophy was donated to the league by Dr. David A. Hart, father of coachCecil Hart.[12] | Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg Jets |
 | Lady Byng Memorial Trophy | 1924–25 | Awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. Named afterLady Byng of Vimy, 40thviceregal consort of Canada, who donated the original trophy to the league.[13] | Anze Kopitar Los Angeles Kings |
 | Vezina Trophy | 1926–27 | Awarded to the league's topgoaltender. Named after goaltenderGeorges Vezina.[14] | Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg Jets |
 | Calder Memorial Trophy | 1936–37 | Awarded to the league'smost outstanding rookie player. Named afterFrank Calder, the firstNHL President.[15] | Lane Hutson Montreal Canadiens |
 | Art Ross Trophy | 1947–48 | Awarded to the player who leads the league intotal points at the end of the regular season. Named after player, coach and team executiveArt Ross, who originally donated the trophy.[16] | Nikita Kucherov Tampa Bay Lightning |
 | James Norris Memorial Trophy | 1953–54 | Awarded to thedefenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position. Named after team ownerJames E. Norris.[17] | Cale Makar Colorado Avalanche |
 | Conn Smythe Trophy | 1965 | Awarded to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs. Named after coach and team ownerConn Smythe.[18] | Sam Bennett Florida Panthers |
 | Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy | 1967–68 | Awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Named afterBill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as the direct result of injuries suffered during a game.[19] | Sean Monahan Columbus Blue Jackets |
 | Ted Lindsay Award | 1970–71 | Awarded to the NHL's outstanding player as selected by the members of theNHL Players Association (called the Lester B. Pearson Award from 1971 to 2009). Named after forwardTed Lindsay (and previouslyLester B. Pearson, noted college athlete who became the 14thPrime Minister of Canada).[20] | Nikita Kucherov Tampa Bay Lightning |
 | Jack Adams Award | 1973–74 | Awarded to the NHLcoach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success (i.e.Coach of the Year). Named after player, coach and general managerJack Adams.[21] | Spencer Carbery Washington Capitals |
 | Frank J. Selke Trophy | 1977–78 | Awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. Named after general managerFrank J. Selke.[22] | Aleksander Barkov Florida Panthers |
.jpg) | William M. Jennings Trophy | 1981–82 | Awarded to thegoaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it in the regular season. Named after team executiveWilliam M. Jennings.[23] | Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg Jets |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award | 1982–83 | Awarded to the player with the highestplus/minus statistic in the regular season[24] | Last awarded in2007–08 | |
 | King Clancy Memorial Trophy | 1987–88 | Awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. Named after player, coach and team executiveKing Clancy.[25] | Aleksander Barkov Florida Panthers |
| NHL Foundation Player Award | 1997–98 | Awarded to the player who applies the core values of hockey to enrich the lives of people in his community.[26] | Last awarded in2016–17 | |
 | Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy | 1998–99 | Awarded to the topgoal scorer in the regular season. Named afterMaurice Richard, the first NHL player to score50 goals in 50 games.[27] | Leon Draisaitl Edmonton Oilers |
| Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award | 1999–2000 | Awarded to the goaltender who has played a minimum of 25 games in the regular season and has the highestsave percentage. Named after goaltenderRoger Crozier.[28][29] | Last awarded in2006–07 | |
| Mark Messier Leadership Award | 2006–07 | Awarded by former playerMark Messier, himself, to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season.[30] | Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals | |
| Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award | 2009–10 | Awarded to the top National Hockey League General Manager.[31] Renamed in November 2019 in memory of former league executiveJim Gregory after his death.[32] | Jim Nill Dallas Stars | |
| E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence | 2015–16 | Awarded byNHL Central Scouting to the draft prospect who best exemplifies the commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism. Named after former NHL Director of Central ScoutingE. J. McGuire.[33] | Michael Hage Chicago Steel |
The league has also given some ephemeral awards over the years, including:
Starting in 2017–18 the NHL began awarding theWillie O’Ree Community Hero Award to two non-NHL players (one in Canada and one in the United States) who, through the game of hockey, have positively impacted their community, culture, or society.[34]
