What is the Conn Smythe Trophy? Everything to know about NHL playoff MVP award originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Lord Stanley isn’t the only piece of hardware that will be awarded in the Stanley Cup Final.

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

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

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

So, how is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner determined? And has there ever been a back-to-back winner? Here’s everything to know about the NHL playoff MVP award:

What is the Conn Smythe Trophy and when was it first awarded?

The Conn Smythe Trophy is a postseason award given to the most valuable player in the playoffs. It debuted in the 1965 postseason.

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.

The award is named after former Toronto Maple Leafs owner, president, general manager and coach Conn Smythe. It was under Smythe’s ownership 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’s features.

How is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner determined?

The Conn Smythe Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Seventeen PHWA members were included in the 2024 vote.

When is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner announced?

The winner is both selected and announced following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.

Who won the first Conn Smythe Trophy?

Hall of Fame center Jean Béliveau won the inaugural Conn Smythe Trophy in 1965. Béliveau tallied eight goals, including four game-winners, and eight assists over 13 games as the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.

Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2024?

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 with 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists).

McDavid is one of only a handful of players to ever take home the Conn Smythe Trophy without also winning the Stanley Cup.

Who has won the most Conn Smythe Trophies?

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

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

Have there been a back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophy winner?

Parent, Lemieux and Crosby were all back-to-back winners, and McDavid has a chance to do the same this year.

How many Conn Smythe Trophy winners have come from the losing team?

There have been six instances where the Conn Smythe Trophy recipient was on the team that lost in the Cup Final.

Who are the Conn Smythe Trophy winners from losing teams?

Four of the six Conn Smythe winners from non-champions were goalies:

• 2024: Connor McDavid, center, Edmonton Oilers
• 2003: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, goalie, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
• 1987: Ron Hextall, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers
• 1976: Reggie Leach, winger, Philadelphia Flyers
• 1968: Glenn Hall, goalie, St. Louis Blues
• 1966: Roger Crozier, goalie, Detroit Red Wings

How many goalies have won the Conn Smythe Trophy?

The Conn Smythe Trophy has gone to a goalie 17 total times,with Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning being the position’s most recent winner in 2021.

List of Conn Smythe Trophy winners by year

Here’s a full look at every Conn Smythe Trophy winner:

• 2024: Connor McDavid, center, Edmonton Oilers*
• 2023: Jonathan Marchessault, center, Vegas Golden Knights
• 2022: Cale Makar, defenseman, Colorado Avalanche
• 2021: Andrei Vasilevskiy, goalie, Tampa Bay Lightning
• 2020: Victor Hedman, defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning
• 2019: Ryan O’Reilly, center, St. Louis Blues
• 2018: Alex Ovechkin, winger, Washington Capitals
• 2017: Sidney Crosby, center, Pittsburgh Penguins
• 2016: Sidney Crosby, center, Pittsburgh Penguins
• 2015: Duncan Keith, defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks
• 2014: Justin Williams, winger, Los Angeles Kings
• 2013: Patrick Kane, winger, Chicago Blackhawks
• 2012: Jonathan Quick, goalie, Los Angeles Kings
• 2011: Tim Thomas, goalie, Boston Bruins
• 2010: Jonathan Toews, center, Chicago Blackhawks
• 2009: Evgeni Malkin, center, Pittsburgh Penguins
• 2008: Henrik Zetterberg, center, Detroit Red Wings
• 2007: Scott Niedermayer, defenseman, Anaheim Ducks
• 2006: Cam Ward, goalie, Carolina Hurricanes
• 2004: Brad Richards, center, Tampa Bay Lightning
• 2003: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, goalie, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
• 2002: Nicklas Lidstrom, defenseman, Detroit Red Wings
• 2001: Patrick Roy, goalie, Colorado Avalanche
• 2000: Scott Stevens, defenseman, New Jersey Devils
• 1999: Joe Nieuwendyk, center, Dallas Stars
• 1998: Steve Yzerman, center, Detroit Red Wings
• 1997: Mike Vernon, goalie, Detroit Red Wings
• 1996: Joe Sakic, center, Colorado Avalanche
• 1995: Claude Lemieux, winger, New Jersey Devils
• 1994: Brian Leetch, defenseman, New York Rangers
• 1993: Patrick Roy, goalie, Montreal Canadiens
• 1992: Mario Lemieux, center, Pittsburgh Penguins
• 1991: Mario Lemieux, center, Pittsburgh Penguins
• 1990: Bill Ranford, goalie, Edmonton Oilers
• 1989: Al MacInnis, defenseman, Calgary Flames
• 1988: Wayne Gretzky, center, Edmonton Oilers
• 1987: Ron Hextall, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers
• 1986: Patrick Roy, goalie, Montreal Canadiens
• 1985: Wayne Gretzky, center, Edmonton Oilers
• 1984: Mark Messier, winger/center, Edmonton Oilers
• 1983: Billy Smith, goalie, New York Islanders
• 1982: Mike Bossy, winger, New York Islanders
• 1981: Butch Goring, center, New York Islanders
• 1980: Bryan Trottier, center, New York Islanders
• 1979: Bob Gainey, winger, Montreal Canadiens
• 1978: Larry Robinson, defenseman, Montreal Canadiens
• 1977: Guy Lafleur, winger, Montreal Canadiens
• 1976: Reggie Leach, winger, Philadelphia Flyers
• 1975: Bernie Parent, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers
• 1974: Bernie Parent, goalie, Philadelphia Flyers
• 1973: Yvan Cournoyer, winger, Montreal Canadiens
• 1972: Bobby Orr, defenseman, Boston Bruins
• 1971: Ken Dryden, goalie, Montreal Canadiens
• 1970: Bobby Orr, defenseman, Boston Bruins
• 1969: Serge Savard, defenseman, Montreal Canadiens
• 1968: Glenn Hall, goalie, St. Louis Blues
• 1967: Dave Keon, center, Toronto Maple Leafs
• 1966: Roger Crozier, goalie, Detroit Red Wings
• 1965: Jean Beliveau, center, Montreal Canadiens

It looks like the Vancouver Canucks are beginning to fill out their coaching staff. As reported by Thomas Drance of The Athletic earlier today, it appears that the Canucks will be bringing in former Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Dean to help new head coach Adam Foote lead the team. 

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Dean was reported to have parted ways with Chicago in mid-May. Shortly after, the idea of him joining the Canucks organization was brought up after CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal discussed him being a possible fit during a segment of the show “Donnie & Dhali” last week.  

Dean was part of Team USA’s coaching staff at the 2025 IIHF World Championships, where he, along with current Canucks Conor Garland and Drew O’Connor, won the country’s first gold medal since 1933. He has spent the last three NHL seasons with the Blackhawks and the five before that with the Boston Bruins. Dean also has experience with coaching in the AHL, having spent 10 years split between the Lowell Devils and the Providence Bruins. His NHL career lasted nearly a decade, with Dean playing for the New Jersey Devils (1994–99), Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2000), Dallas Stars (1999-2000), and the Blackhawks (1999-2000). 

With Dean reported to be in as the Canucks’ new defensive coach, all that’s left for the team to take care of is picking out a coach to help with the offence. Notably, Vancouver’s offence struggled a bit last season, so with two more defensively-minded coaches on staff, the team will look to find someone who can bolster the offensive tools they have. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.

Welcome back to another Memorable Match from the Vancouver Canucks’ 2024–25 season. Last time, we looked at the team’s match against the Detroit Red Wings on February 2. This week, we’ll take a look at their narrow 4–3 loss against the St. Louis Blues on March 20. 

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This was an important game for Vancouver and St. Louis, as both teams were making a push for a Western Conference wild card spot. At the time, both teams had 75 points on the season, with the Canucks residing in the final playoff spot due to having played less games at the time. Within a four-point span of them were the Calgary Flames (73) and the Utah Mammoth (71). Ahead of them in the standings were the Minnesota Wild with 83 points. 

In this high-stakes affair, it was St. Louis’ Zack Bolduc who opened the scoring with less than five minutes left in the second period. Despite the fact that Vancouver entered the third period down a goal, within the first seven minutes, they soon vaulted to a 2–1 lead thanks to Kiefer Sherwood and Brock Boeser (marking the 200th of his NHL career). A couple of minutes later, Tyler Tucker and Dylan Holloway scored for the Blues, with both players’ goals only coming 25 seconds apart. 

Gameplay aside, there were a few reasons why this game was memorable. For starters, the game ultimately went to overtime after a buzzer beater from Boeser, as the forward scored at 19:57 of the third period. This was the second game in a row in which Boeser scored multiple goals, as he previously put up two in the team’s 6–2 victory against the Winnipeg Jets two days prior. As well, Sherwood made his 383rd hit of the season, which tied him for the NHL record previously held by Jeremy Lauzon. He went on to break this record the game after. Finally, Canucks captain Quinn Hughes tallied his 399th career NHL point in this game. 

Canucks 2024–25 Memorable Matches will be posted every Tuesday until June 11. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.