Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy is a major hockey trophy in the National Hockey League ( NHL). It is awarded annually following the last game of the Stanley Cup Final series to the Most Valuable Player of the entire play-offs. However, this does not necessarily come from the team of Stanley Cup winner.
The trophy was named after the Conn Smythe Hockey official, the former owner and coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The award was instituted in 1964 by the company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and awarded for the first time in the season 1964/65.
With three wins the goalie Patrick Roy 's record winners of the trophy. He is also currently the only player to win it with two different teams.
Award and History
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded by a vote of twelve to 15 members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. Among them are three journalists from the two cities of the teams in the Stanley Cup Final series. Even before a possible final game, the voters have to commit to a winner, but the vote will be discarded if the series is not finished after the game. If, in the best- of-seven series to a decisive seventh game, gives every Voters in two versions, depending on the winning team.
The trophy is right after the last game of the Stanley Cup play-offs - awarded by the NHL commissioner - even before the handover of Stanley Cups. It is therefore the only individual trophy will not be awarded as part of the NHL Awards. Moreover, in contrast to most other trophies only the winner of the award will be announced, and not in addition the second and third placed players.
The winner of the trophy does not necessarily come from the team of Stanley Cup winner. So far five players ( four goalkeepers below) were excellent, the Stanley Cup did not win in the same year, most recently Jean -Sébastien Giguère of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2003. All players had but at least with her team in the final series. Roger Crozier, who became the first goalkeeper received the trophy in 1966, is also the only winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, who never won a Stanley Cup. Also, Ron Hextall, the three stood in the Stanley Cup final total, remained barred Cup as a player. In 2012, however, he eventually won him as an assistant general manager with the Los Angeles Kings.
Until now, only three different players, the "Double" from the Hart Memorial Trophy managed for the Most Valuable Player of the regular season and the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player of the playoffs: Wayne Gretzky in the 1984/85 season, Guy Lafleur in the 1976/77 season and Bobby Orr in the seasons 1971/72 and 1969 / 70th Orr is thus the only player who achieved this feat twice.
Winners since 1965
A total of 41 different players have been awarded in 47 seasons since the introduction of the trophy. In 2005, the award was not awarded due to the lockout and the consequent failure of the entire season.
Abbreviations: Pos = Position, GP = Games, B = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalty minutes Goalie Stats: W = Wins, GAA = Gegentorschnitt, Sv % = quota (from the 1985/86 season ), SO = shutouts All data refer only to the play-offs in question.
- Player did not win the Stanley Cup
Rankings
To date, only four players have the Conn Smythe Trophy winning several awards: The goalkeeper Bernie Parent, the defender Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux and the Center Wayne Gretzky ever won twice. Patrick Roy, who won the trophy twice with the Canadiens de Montréal and once with the Colorado Avalanche, was so far the only player three times successfully.
With a share of almost 90 % where much of the winners from Canada. Only in 1994 could win the award with Brian Leetch from the United States for the first time a non- Canadian. Nicklas Lidstrom, the Swede was awarded in 2002 as the first Europeans. Most often, the trophy has been awarded with 16 awards at Centre Forward (Center) and goalkeeper. In addition, defenders with nine titles so far been successful more often than winger. This allowed only six right and a single left winger to win the trophy.
Most often, the award has been awarded to players of Canadiens de Montréal, which had a total of nine times successfully. After the Detroit Red Wings follow with five excellent players and the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers with four. The Philadelphia Flyers are also the only team to have won out of the two players with the Conn Smythe Trophy, even though they lost in the respective finals series. The Toronto Maple Leafs, the operator organization had donated the trophy, since they could win only once, when they won their last Stanley Cup in 1967 until today.
The St. Louis Blues, whose goalie Glenn Hall in 1968 was awarded the trophy, the only team that has already won a Conn Smythe Trophy, but still no Stanley Cup are.