Hart Memorial Trophy - wikipedia Hart Memorial Trophy Hart Memorial Trophy Sport Ice hockey Given for Most Valuable Player in regular season of the National Hockey League History First award 1924 Most recent Connor McDavid The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is awarded annually to the `` player judged most valuable to his team '' in the National Hockey League ( NHL ). The original trophy was donated to the league in 1923 by David Hart, the father of Cecil Hart, the longtime head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. The Hart Trophy has been awarded 92 times to 56 different players since its beginnings in 1924. Each year, members of the Professional Hockey Writers ' Association vote to determine the player who was the most valuable to his team during the regular season. Contents 1 History 2 Winners 3 See also 4 References History The first winner of the original trophy, Frank Nighbor, in the picture Elmer Lach with the original trophy in 1945 The Hart Memorial Trophy is named in honour of Canadian Dr. David Hart. Dr. Hart, who donated the original trophy to the NHL, 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, which was dubbed the Hart Memorial Trophy in its place. With the exceptions of Tommy Anderson, Al Rollins, and José Theodore, every eligible player who won the Hart Trophy ( and retired ) has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Wayne Gretzky won the award a record nine times during his career, eight consecutively. He has been named MVP more times than any other player in the history of the other three North American major professional leagues ( Major League Baseball ( MLB ), National Basketball Association, and National Football League ). Barry Bonds is second, having won the MVP award seven times in the MLB. Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers teammate Mark Messier are the only players to win the Hart Trophy with more than one team. Players from the Montreal Canadiens have won the award sixteen times ; players from Boston Bruins are second with twelve winners, while the Edmonton Oilers have seen players win the award ten times. 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 has four. By contrast, it is rare for a goaltender to win the award, which has happened only eight times in its history by 7 different goaltenders ; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek is the only two - time winner. The voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by members of the Professional Hockey Writers ' Association, and each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10 - 7 - 5 - 3 - 1 point ( s ) system. Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs. The closest the voting for the Hart Trophy has ever come was in the 2001 -- 02 season, when Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla tied in the total voting. The tiebreaker for choosing the Hart Trophy winner in such a case is number of first - place votes : Theodore claimed it, who had 86 first - place votes to Iginla 's 82. In 2008, the NHL 's official online shop came under criticism after they placed a T - shirt advertising Alexander Ovechkin as the award winner on sale a week before the results were revealed. A spokesperson for the league said `` in an effort to offer our fans the merchandise they want in a timely manner following an event such as the NHL Awards, our licensees prepare product for all possible outcomes. In this situation, the link for one of the possible products became live early through an error by our e-commerce provider. '' Ovechkin was later confirmed to be the winner. Winners Nels Stewart, two - time winner Wayne Gretzky, nine - time winner Mario Lemieux, three - time winner Sergei Fedorov, first European trained player to win it, one - time winner Dominik Hasek, two - time winner Alexander Ovechkin, three - time winner Sidney Crosby, two - time winner Joe Thornton, only player to switch clubs during his winning season, one - time winner Positions key Centre LW Left Wing Defence RW Right Wing Goaltender Player is still active in the NHL Eligible player not yet elected to Hockey Hall of Fame Inactive player not yet eligible for Hockey Hall of Fame Season Winner Team Position Win # 1923 -- 24 Nighbor, Frank Frank Nighbor Ottawa Senators 1924 -- 25 Burch, Billy Billy Burch Hamilton Tigers 1925 -- 26 Stewart, Nels Nels Stewart Montreal Maroons 1926 -- 27 Gardiner, Herb Herb Gardiner Montreal Canadiens 1927 -- 28 Morenz, Howie Howie Morenz Montreal Canadiens 1928 -- 29 Worters, Roy Roy Worters New York Americans 1929 -- 30 Stewart, Nels Nels Stewart Montreal Maroons 1930 -- 31 Morenz, Howie Howie Morenz Montreal Canadiens 1931 -- 32 Morenz, Howie Howie Morenz Montreal Canadiens 1932 -- 33 Shore, Eddie Eddie Shore Boston Bruins 1933 -- 34 Joliat, Aurele Aurele Joliat Montreal Canadiens LW 1934 -- 35 Shore, Eddie Eddie Shore Boston Bruins 1935 -- 36 Shore, Eddie Eddie Shore Boston Bruins 1936 -- 37 Siebert, Babe Babe Siebert Montreal Canadiens 1937 -- 38 Shore, Eddie Eddie Shore Boston Bruins 1938 -- 39 Blake, Toe Toe Blake Montreal Canadiens LW 1939 -- 40 Goodfellow, Ebbie Ebbie Goodfellow Detroit Red Wings 1940 -- 41 Cowley, Bill Bill Cowley Boston Bruins 1941 -- 42 Anderson, Tommy Tommy Anderson Brooklyn Americans 1942 -- 43 Cowley, Bill Bill Cowley Boston Bruins 1943 -- 44 Pratt, Babe Babe Pratt Toronto Maple Leafs 1944 -- 45 Lach, Elmer Elmer Lach Montreal Canadiens 1945 -- 46 Bentley, Max Max Bentley Chicago Black Hawks 1946 -- 47 Richard, Maurice Maurice Richard Montreal Canadiens RW 1947 -- 48 O'Connor, Buddy Buddy O'Connor New York Rangers 1948 -- 49 Abel, Sid Sid Abel Detroit Red Wings 1949 -- 50 Rayner, Chuck Chuck Rayner New York Rangers 1950 -- 51 Schmidt, Milt Milt Schmidt Boston Bruins 1951 -- 52 Howe, Gordie Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings RW 1952 -- 53 Howe, Gordie Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings RW 1953 -- 54 Rollins, Al Al Rollins Chicago Black Hawks 1954 -- 55 Kennedy, Ted Ted Kennedy Toronto Maple Leafs 1955 -- 56 Beliveau, Jean Jean Beliveau Montreal Canadiens 1956 -- 57 Howe, Gordie Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings RW 1957 -- 58 Howe, Gordie Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings RW 1958 -- 59 Bathgate, Andy Andy Bathgate New York Rangers RW 1959 -- 60 Howe, Gordie Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings RW 5 1960 -- 61 Geoffrion, Bernie Bernie Geoffrion Montreal Canadiens RW 1961 -- 62 Plante, Jacques Jacques Plante Montreal Canadiens 1962 -- 63 Howe, Gordie Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings RW 6 1963 -- 64 Beliveau, Jean Jean Beliveau Montreal Canadiens 1964 -- 65 Hull, Bobby Bobby Hull Chicago Black Hawks LW 1965 -- 66 Hull, Bobby Bobby Hull Chicago Black Hawks LW 1966 -- 67 Mikita, Stan Stan Mikita Chicago Black Hawks 1967 -- 68 Mikita, Stan Stan Mikita Chicago Black Hawks 1968 -- 69 Esposito, Phil Phil Esposito Boston Bruins 1969 -- 70 Orr, Bobby Bobby Orr Boston Bruins 1970 -- 71 Orr, Bobby Bobby Orr Boston Bruins 1971 -- 72 Orr, Bobby Bobby Orr Boston Bruins 1972 -- 73 Clarke, Bobby Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers 1973 -- 74 Esposito, Phil Phil Esposito Boston Bruins 1974 -- 75 Clarke, Bobby Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers 1975 -- 76 Clarke, Bobby Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers 1976 -- 77 Lafleur, Guy Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens RW 1977 -- 78 Lafleur, Guy Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens RW 1978 -- 79 Trottier, Bryan Bryan Trottier New York Islanders 1979 -- 80 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 1980 -- 81 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 1981 -- 82 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 1982 -- 83 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 1983 -- 84 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 5 1984 -- 85 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 6 1985 -- 86 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 7 1986 -- 87 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 8 1987 -- 88 Lemieux, Mario Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins 1988 -- 89 Gretzky, Wayne Wayne Gretzky Los Angeles Kings 9 1989 -- 90 Messier, Mark Mark Messier Edmonton Oilers 1990 -- 91 Hull, Brett Brett Hull St. Louis Blues RW 1991 -- 92 Messier, Mark Mark Messier New York Rangers 1992 -- 93 Lemieux, Mario Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins 1993 -- 94 Fedorov, Sergei Sergei Fedorov Detroit Red Wings 1994 -- 95 Lindros, Eric Eric Lindros Philadelphia Flyers 1995 -- 96 Lemieux, Mario Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins 1996 -- 97 Hasek, Dominik Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres 1997 -- 98 Hasek, Dominik Dominik Hasek Buffalo Sabres 1998 -- 99 Jagr, Jaromir Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Penguins RW 1999 -- 2000 Pronger, Chris Chris Pronger St. Louis Blues 2000 -- 01 Sakic, Joe Joe Sakic Colorado Avalanche 2001 -- 02 Theodore, Jose Jose Theodore Montreal Canadiens 2002 -- 03 Forsberg, Peter Peter Forsberg Colorado Avalanche 2003 -- 04 St. Louis, Martin Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning RW 2004 -- 05 & -- & -- & -- & -- 2005 -- 06 Thornton, Joe Joe Thornton Boston Bruins / San Jose Sharks 2006 -- 07 Crosby, Sidney Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 2007 -- 08 Ovechkin, Alexander Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals LW 2008 -- 09 Ovechkin, Alexander Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals LW 2009 -- 10 Sedin, Henrik Henrik Sedin Vancouver Canucks 2010 -- 11 Perry, Corey Corey Perry Anaheim Ducks RW 2011 -- 12 Malkin, Evgeni Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 2012 -- 13 Ovechkin, Alexander Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals RW 2013 -- 14 Crosby, Sidney Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 2014 -- 15 Price, Carey Carey Price Montreal Canadiens 2015 -- 16 Kane, Patrick Patrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks RW 2016 -- 17 McDavid, Connor Connor McDavid Edmonton Oilers Jump up ^ The trophy was not awarded in the 2004 -- 05 season due to the league 's lockout. See also Ted Lindsay Award List of NHL statistical leaders References General `` Hart Memorial Trophy ''. National Hockey League. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Hockey Hall of Fame. `` Legends of Hockey - NHL Trophies - Hart Memorial Trophy ''. Legends of Hockey. Retrieved July 11, 2014. `` NHL Hart Memorial Trophy Winners ''. Hockey Reference. Retrieved July 12, 2014. Hollander, Zander ; Bock, Hal, eds. ( 1970 ). The Complete Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey. Prentice - Hall Inc. ISBN 0 - 13 - 159905 - 4. Specific Jump up ^ `` Hart Memorial Trophy ''. Official website of Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 15 February 2018. Jump up ^ Hollander & Bock 1970, p. 311. Jump up ^ `` 99 Reasons Why Wayne Gretzky is `` The Great One '' ``. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 1, 2012. Jump up ^ Dolezar, Jon ( April 20, 2003 ). `` Foppa shows the most Hart ''. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2007 - 12 - 05. Retrieved August 4, 2016. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Hart Memorial Trophy ''. National Hockey League. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Did NHL Shop Reveal Ovechkin as Hart Winner ? ''. The Sports Network. June 6, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008 - 06 - 10. Retrieved August 4, 2016. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) NHL awards and trophies Team Stanley Cup Prince of Wales Clarence S. Campbell Presidents ' Trophy Individual Adams Art Ross Calder Conn Smythe Hart Jennings King Clancy Lady Byng Lindsay Masterton Messier NHL Foundation Norris Rocket Richard Selke Vezina Defunct Crozier O'Brien Cup Plus / Minus Man of the Year Award Conacher Award National Hockey League Western Conference Eastern Conference Pacific Division Anaheim Ducks Arizona Coyotes Calgary Flames Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights Central Division Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Atlantic Division Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Detroit Red Wings Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Tampa Bay Lightning Toronto Maple Leafs Metropolitan Division Carolina Hurricanes Columbus Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Events Seasons structure Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals Finals Champions Winning players Traditions and anecdotes Presidents ' Trophy All - Star Game Draft Players Association Retired jersey numbers All - Star Teams Awards Captains Outdoor games Winter Classic Heritage Classic Stadium Series Hockey Day America Canada International games Kraft Hockeyville History Lore Organizational changes Potential expansion All - time standings All - time playoff series Defunct teams NHA Original Six 1967 expansion WHA merger Others Streaks Droughts Hall of Fame Members Rivalries Arenas Rules Fighting Violence Ice hockey in Canada Ice hockey in the United States Collective bargaining agreement Lockouts Television and radio coverage Attendance figures Portal 2017 -- 18 season Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hart_Memorial_Trophy&oldid=833100985 '' Categories : Awards established in 1924 Ice hockey player of the year awards National Hockey League trophies and awards Most valuable player awards Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Wikipedia semi-protected pages Articles with hCards Featured lists Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Français Galego Hrvatski Italiano עברית Latviešu Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Українська 15 more Edit links This page was last edited on 29 March 2018, at 17 : 38. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who has won the most nhl mvp awards
Answer: Wayne Gretzky