{"id":60160,"date":"2025-06-04T02:09:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T02:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/60160\/"},"modified":"2025-06-04T02:09:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T02:09:16","slug":"everything-to-know-about-the-conn-smythe-trophy-awarded-to-nhl-playoff-mvp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/60160\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to know about the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to NHL playoff MVP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everything to know about the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to NHL playoff MVP<\/a> originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston<\/a><\/p>\n

Lord Stanley isn\u2019t the only piece of hardware that will be awarded in the Stanley Cup Final.<\/p>\n

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One player from the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> or the defending champion Florida Panthers<\/a> will be honored as the most valuable player in the 2025 NHL playoffs<\/a> with the Conn Smythe Trophy<\/a>. And the rare Cup Final rematch could see a repeat award winner.<\/p>\n

Oilers star Connor McDavid<\/a> earned the 2024 Conn Smythe in a losing Cup Final effort, and the three-time Hart Trophy winner<\/a> enters this year\u2019s NHL championship round with a playoff-high 26 points<\/a> (6 goals, 20 assists). McDavid\u2019s co-star, Leon Draisaitl<\/a>, is also a Conn Smythe Trophy contender as he sits second in points with 25 (7 goals, 18 assists).<\/p>\n

The one-time champion Panthers, meanwhile, could have their first Conn Smythe Trophy winner in franchise history. Captain\u00a0Aleksander Barkov<\/a>\u00a0(17 points), forward\u00a0Matthew Tkachuk<\/a>\u00a0(16) and center\u00a0Sam Bennett<\/a>\u00a0(16) lead 10 Florida skaters with at least 10 points entering the Cup Final. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> is putting together a strong Conn Smythe Trophy resume as well, as he sports a 2.11 goals-against average<\/a>\u00a0and a .912 save percentage.<\/p>\n

So, how is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner determined? And has there ever been a back-to-back winner? Here\u2019s everything to know about the NHL playoff MVP award:<\/p>\n

What is the Conn Smythe Trophy and when was it first awarded?<\/p>\n

The Conn Smythe Trophy is a postseason award given to the most valuable player in the playoffs. It debuted in the 1965 postseason.<\/p>\n

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Historically, most Conn Smythe Trophy winners have come from the team that also won the Stanley Cup. Though, there have been a handful of instances where a player who lost in the Cup Final was awarded the trophy.<\/p>\n

The award is named after former Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> owner, president, general manager and coach Conn Smythe. It was under Smythe\u2019s ownership<\/a> that the Leafs changed their name from the St. Pats and that the Maple Leaf Gardens arena was constructed. A mini replica of the venue and a Maple Leaf are among the trophy\u2019s features.<\/p>\n

How is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner determined?<\/p>\n

The Conn Smythe Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Seventeen PHWA members were included in the 2024 vote<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner announced?<\/p>\n

The winner is both selected and announced following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.<\/p>\n

Who won the first Conn Smythe Trophy?<\/p>\n

Hall of Fame center Jean B\u00e9liveau<\/a> won the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965. B\u00e9liveau tallied eight goals, including four game-winners, and eight assists over 13 games as the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2024?<\/p>\n

Connor McDavid was a near-unanimous Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2024 despite Edmonton falling to Florida in the Cup Final. McDavid earned 16 of 17 first-place votes after racking up the most assists (34) and points (42) in the postseason. He was also the leading scorer in the Cup Final<\/a> with 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists).<\/p>\n

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McDavid is one of only a handful of players to ever take home the Conn Smythe Trophy without also winning the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

Who has won the most Conn Smythe Trophies?<\/p>\n

Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy<\/a> owns the most Conn Smythe Trophies with three. Roy won two with the Canadiens<\/a> (1986, 1993) and one with the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> (2001).<\/p>\n

There are five other multi-time Conn Smythe Trophy winners: defenseman Bobby Orr<\/a> (1970, 1972), goalie Bernie Parent<\/a> (1974, 1975), center Wayne Gretzky<\/a> (1985, 1988), center Mario Lemieux<\/a> (1991, 1992) and center Sidney Crosby<\/a> (2016, 2017).<\/p>\n

Have there been a back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophy winner?<\/p>\n

Parent, Lemieux and Crosby were all back-to-back winners, and McDavid has a chance to do the same this year.<\/p>\n

How many Conn Smythe Trophy winners have come from the losing team?<\/p>\n

There have been six instances where the Conn Smythe Trophy recipient was on the team that lost in the Cup Final.<\/p>\n

Who are the Conn Smythe Trophy winners from losing teams?<\/p>\n

Four of the six Conn Smythe winners from non-champions were goalies:<\/p>\n

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2024:\u00a0Connor McDavid,\u00a0center, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n

2003:\u00a0Jean-Sebastien Giguere, goalie, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim<\/p>\n

1987:\u00a0Ron Hextall, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n

1976: Reggie Leach, winger, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n

1968:\u00a0Glenn Hall, goalie, St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n

1966: Roger Crozier, goalie, Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

How many goalies have won the Conn Smythe Trophy?<\/p>\n

The Conn Smythe Trophy has gone to a goalie 17 total times, with Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a> of the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> being the position\u2019s most recent winner in 2021.<\/p>\n

List of Conn Smythe Trophy winners by year<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a full look at every Conn Smythe Trophy winner:<\/p>\n

2024:\u00a0Connor McDavid,\u00a0center, Edmonton Oilers*<\/p>\n

2023:\u00a0Jonathan Marchessault, center, Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n

2022:\u00a0Cale Makar, defenseman, Colorado Avalanche<\/p>\n

2021:\u00a0Andrei Vasilevskiy, goalie, Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n

2020:\u00a0Victor Hedman, defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n

2019:\u00a0Ryan O\u2019Reilly, center, St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n

2018:\u00a0Alex Ovechkin, winger, Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

2017:\u00a0Sidney Crosby, center, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

2016:\u00a0Sidney Crosby, center, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

2015:\u00a0Duncan Keith, defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

2014:\u00a0Justin Williams, winger, Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n

2013:\u00a0Patrick Kane, winger, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

2012:\u00a0Jonathan Quick, goalie, Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n

2011: Tim Thomas, goalie, Boston Bruins<\/p>\n

2010:\u00a0Jonathan Toews, center, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

2009:\u00a0Evgeni Malkin, center, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

2008:\u00a0Henrik Zetterberg, center, Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

2007:\u00a0Scott Niedermayer, defenseman, Anaheim Ducks<\/p>\n

2006:\u00a0Cam Ward, goalie, Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n

2004: Brad Richards, center, Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n

2003:\u00a0Jean-Sebastien Giguere, goalie, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim<\/p>\n

2002:\u00a0Nicklas Lidstrom, defenseman, Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

2001:\u00a0Patrick Roy, goalie, Colorado Avalanche<\/p>\n

2000:\u00a0Scott Stevens, defenseman, New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n

1999:\u00a0Joe Nieuwendyk, center, Dallas Stars<\/p>\n

1998:\u00a0Steve Yzerman, center, Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

1997:\u00a0Mike Vernon, goalie, Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

1996:\u00a0Joe Sakic, center, Colorado Avalanche<\/p>\n

1995:\u00a0Claude Lemieux, winger, New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n

1994:\u00a0Brian Leetch, defenseman, New York Rangers<\/p>\n

1993:\u00a0Patrick Roy, goalie, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1992:\u00a0Mario Lemieux, center, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

1991:\u00a0Mario Lemieux, center, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

1990:\u00a0Bill Ranford, goalie, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n

1989:\u00a0Al MacInnis, defenseman, Calgary Flames<\/p>\n

1988:\u00a0Wayne Gretzky, center, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n

1987:\u00a0Ron Hextall, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n

1986:\u00a0Patrick Roy, goalie, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1985:\u00a0Wayne Gretzky, center, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n

1984:\u00a0Mark Messier, winger\/center, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n

1983:\u00a0Billy Smith, goalie, New York Islanders<\/p>\n

1982:\u00a0Mike Bossy, winger, New York Islanders<\/p>\n

1981:\u00a0Butch Goring, center, New York Islanders<\/p>\n

1980:\u00a0Bryan Trottier, center, New York Islanders<\/p>\n

1979:\u00a0Bob Gainey, winger, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1978:\u00a0Larry Robinson, defenseman, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1977:\u00a0Guy Lafleur, winger, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1976: Reggie Leach, winger, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n

1975:\u00a0Bernie Parent, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n

1974:\u00a0Bernie Parent, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n

1973:\u00a0Yvan Cournoyer, winger, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1972:\u00a0Bobby Orr, defenseman, Boston Bruins<\/p>\n

1971:\u00a0Ken Dryden, goalie, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1970:\u00a0Bobby Orr, defenseman, Boston Bruins<\/p>\n

1969:\u00a0Serge Savard, defenseman, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

1968:\u00a0Glenn Hall, goalie, St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n

1967:\u00a0Dave Keon, center, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

1966: Roger Crozier, goalie, Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

1965:\u00a0Jean Beliveau, center, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Everything to know about the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to NHL playoff MVP originally appeared on NBC Sports…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60161,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5099],"tags":[91,426,243,12386,71,154,95,5132,12389,530,1116,26,29,5713,96,144,5364,8461,155,147,93,8207,146,1495,57,8929,5,12387,781,2274,3862,370,145,3375,94,2711,21,151,159,35,4,2821,56,100,768,534,92,12388,31,39,1498,109],"class_list":{"0":"post-60160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-bruins","8":"tag-aleksander-barkov","9":"tag-alex-ovechkin","10":"tag-andrei-vasilevskiy","11":"tag-bernie-parent","12":"tag-blues","13":"tag-boston","14":"tag-boston-bruins","15":"tag-bostonbruins","16":"tag-brad-richards","17":"tag-bruins","18":"tag-cale-makar","19":"tag-calgary-flames","20":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","21":"tag-center","22":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","23":"tag-colorado-avalanche","24":"tag-conn-smythe","25":"tag-conn-smythe-trophy","26":"tag-connor-mcdavid","27":"tag-dallas-stars","28":"tag-detroit-red-wings","29":"tag-duncan-keith","30":"tag-edmonton-oilers","31":"tag-evgeni-malkin","32":"tag-florida-panthers","33":"tag-henrik-zetterberg","34":"tag-hockey","35":"tag-jean-sebastien-giguere","36":"tag-jonathan-marchessault","37":"tag-jonathan-quick","38":"tag-jonathan-toews","39":"tag-leon-draisaitl","40":"tag-los-angeles-kings","41":"tag-mario-lemieux","42":"tag-matthew-tkachuk","43":"tag-mighty-ducks","44":"tag-montreal-canadiens","45":"tag-new-jersey-devils","46":"tag-new-york-islanders","47":"tag-new-york-rangers","48":"tag-nhl","49":"tag-patrick-kane","50":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","51":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","52":"tag-sidney-crosby","53":"tag-st-louis","54":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","55":"tag-tim-thomas","56":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","57":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","58":"tag-victor-hedman","59":"tag-washington-capitals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}