 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Rookie of the Year in theNational Hockey League |
| History | |
| First award | 1936–37 NHL season |
| Most recent | Lane Hutson Montreal Canadiens |
TheCalder Memorial Trophy is an annualaward given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in theNational Hockey League (NHL)." It is named afterFrank Calder, thefirst president of the NHL. Serving as the NHL'sRookie of the Year award, this version of the trophy has been awarded since its creation for the1936–37 NHL season. The voting is conducted by members of theProfessional Hockey Writers' Association at the conclusion of eachregular season to determine the winner.
When the award was established in 1937, there were no requirements beyond that the winner be in his first year of competition in the NHL, and the winner was decided by League PresidentFrank Calder himself.[1]
Currently, the eligibility requirements are that a player cannot have played more than 25 regular season games in any single preceding season, nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding regular seasons, in any major professional league.[2] The last requirement was implemented in 1979 to blockWayne Gretzky (who had played a single season in theWorld Hockey Association the year before) from winning the award.[3] After the Calder win of 31-year-oldSergei Makarov in 1991 (following the influx ofEastern Bloc players around the fall of theSoviet Union), the rules were further amended to require that winners be 26 years of age or younger.[4]
Further, the limitation is for regular season games only, exempting games played in the playoffs. This has led to aberrations such asKen Dryden winning the Calder in 1972, despite leading theMontreal Canadiens to aStanley Cup victory the season before, and winning theConn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.
The Calder Memorial Trophy is named in honour ofFrank Calder, the former president of theNational Hockey League (NHL) from its inception in 1917 to his death in 1943. AlthoughRookie of the Year honors were handed out beginning in1932–33, the Calder Trophy was first presented at the conclusion of the1936–37 NHL season.[5] Calder himself purchased a trophy each year to award to the winner.[6]
After Calder's death in 1943 a permanent trophy was cast, and it was renamed the Calder Memorial Trophy.[7]
The trophy has been won the most times by rookies from theToronto Maple Leafs, who have won it on ten occasions, with the most recent beingAuston Matthews in 2017. The second-most is the Chicago Blackhawks with nine wins.
Since the 1948 season, the voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by members of theProfessional Hockey Writers' Association, and each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10–7–5–3–1 points system.[8] Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs.
| C | Centre |
|---|---|
| LW | Left wing |
| RW | Right wing |
| D | Defence |
| G | Goaltender |
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