National Hockey League awards

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. 
==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. 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.
==Team trophies==
	Award 	Created	Description 	Current holder
	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) 	Anaheim Ducks
	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)	Ottawa Senators
	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) 	Anaheim Ducks
	Presidents' Trophy 	1986 	Awarded to the club finishing the regular season with the best overall record (based on points) 	Buffalo Sabres
	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) 	Retired in 1950
==Individual trophies and awards==
Image	Award 	Created	Description 	Current holder
 	Hart Memorial Trophy 	1924 	Awarded to the league's most valuable player 	Sidney CrosbyPittsburgh Penguins
 	Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 	1925 	Awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability 	Pavel DatsyukDetroit Red Wings
 	Vezina Trophy 	1927 	Awarded to the league's top goaltender 	Martin BrodeurNew Jersey Devils
 	Calder Memorial Trophy 	1937 	Awarded to the league's most outstanding rookie player 	Evgeni MalkinPittsburgh Penguins
 	Art Ross Trophy 	1948 	Awarded to the player who leads the league in total points at the end of the regular season 	Sidney CrosbyPittsburgh Penguins
 	James Norris Memorial Trophy 	1954 	Awarded to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position 	Nicklas LidströmDetroit Red Wings
 	Conn Smythe Trophy 	1965 	Awarded to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs 	Scott NiedermayerAnaheim Ducks
 	Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy 	1968 	Awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey 	Phil KesselBoston Bruins
 	Lester B. Pearson Award 	1971 	Awarded to the NHL's outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHL Players Association 	Sidney CrosbyPittsburgh Penguins
 	Jack Adams Award 	1974 	Awarded to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success 	Alain VigneaultVancouver Canucks
 	Frank J. Selke Trophy 	1978 	Awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game 	Rod Brind'AmourCarolina Hurricanes
 	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 	Niklas Backstrom &Manny FernandezMinnesota Wild
 	NHL Plus/Minus Award 	1983 	Awarded to the player with the highest plus/minus statistic in the regular season 	Thomas VanekBuffalo Sabres
 	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	Saku KoivuMontreal 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 	Joe SakicColorado Avalanche
 	Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy 	1999 	Awarded to the top goal scorer in the regular season 	Vincent LecavalierTampa Bay Lightning
 	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 	Niklas BackstromMinnesota Wild
 	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 	Chris CheliosDetroit Red Wings
 	Scotiabank Fan Fav Award 	2009 	Awarded to a National Hockey League player based on fan voting. 	Roberto LuongoVancouver Canucks
==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
==References==
==External Links==
*NHL trophies at nhl.com
*NHL trophies at legendsofhockey.net
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Awards