Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is an ice hockey trophy in the National Hockey League ( NHL). It is awarded annually to the player who was able to combine a high standard sporting and exemplary behavior.

The trophy was donated by Evelyn Byng, wife of the then Governor General of Canada Julian Byng and awarded in the NHL 1924/25 season for the first time from her personally. This is the award after the hard Memorial Trophy, the second oldest in the NHL. After Frank Boucher won the trophy seven times in eight years, he was allowed to keep and Lady Byng donated a new trophy.

The trophy was named Lady Byng Trophy to 1949 and was renamed after the death of Lady Byng Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in.

Award and History

In the season 1923/24, Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators and was awarded the Hart Trophy as the first player in the history of the National Hockey League an individual trophy. The following season, presented Lady Byng, wife of the Governor General of Canada, with the Lady Byng Trophy another award. Having Frank Neighbor selected as the first winner of the trophy, she invited him into the Rideau Hall and awarded him the trophy in person. In the following season Neighbor Award.

Between 1928 and 1935 succeeded the center Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers, the Lady Byng Trophy to win seven times in eight years. Then, the NHL decided that Boucher was allowed to keep the trophy permanently, and Lady Byng donated a new trophy. To date, Boucher is record winner of the award. After Lady Byng's death in 1949, the NHL donated another time a new trophy and renamed it to Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The first trophy in 1962 destroyed in a fire at Boucher's house, the second version is now on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Only in the season 1948/49 was Bill Quackenbush, who had not received a single time penalty throughout the season, won the first defender with the Lady Byng Trophy. In 1985, won with the Finns Jari Kurri after 60 years of the first non -Canadian award.

The trophy is awarded annually ' awarded by a vote of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, in which nearly 180 journalists were eligible to vote in 2011. It takes place after each end of the regular season. Each Voters can on his ballot 10, 7, 5, 3, or assign a point to a player of his choice. After the vote, the top three players ( finalists ) are first announced, but not their order. The trophy will be presented at the annual NHL Awards only after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup play-offs.

Current title holder of the 2012/13 season, the Canadian Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the trophy for the third time.

Winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

A total of 52 different players have been awarded 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 Notes: All data refer only to the relevant season.

Rankings

So far, 19 players have won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy multiple times. Record winner is the Canadian Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers, which was seven times excellent. Wayne Gretzky, who was five times successfully, won the trophy so far the only player with three different teams. The Russian Pavel Datsyuk was awarded between 2006 and 2009 four times in a row, making it the only European to have won the trophy more than once. Red Kelly also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy four times and is also the only defender to have won the trophy more than once. Since he moved to the position of the center in 1960, he is also the only player who received the award at two different positions.

With 87.5 % where much of the previous winners of the trophy from Canada. Then with the U.S. and Russia follow only two other nations, has been awarded from which multiple players. In addition, each came a winner from Finland, Sweden and Slovakia. Stan Mikita Also, who won the trophy twice, has Slovak citizenship, but played internationally for Canada. Most often players the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers have been able to win the award, each of which was 14 times successfully. The Toronto Maple Leafs received the trophy been nine, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins eight times. The most successful team that does not belong to the original Six teams are the Los Angeles Kings with five winners.

The most common was the trophy at center forward, so-called Center forgive. Overall, nearly two-thirds of all winners played on this position. In contrast, only three defenders were a total of five times awarded Bill Quackenbush, Red Kelly and Brian Campbell in the history of the trophy. Until now, no goalkeeper received the trophy.