In his NHL career, McDavid has won the Hart Trophy three times.
At the NHL Awards event on Monday, Connor McDavid, a standout for the Edmonton Oilers, received the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. To earn the prize, McDavid bested players like Florida Panthers standout Matthew Tkachuk and Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak.
In his eight-year NHL career, McDavid has already won the Hart Trophy three times (in 2016–17 and 2020–21). Additionally, it is the third time in four seasons that an Oilers player has received MVP recognition. During the 2019–20 season, Leon Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy, and in the 2020–21 season, Connor McDavid was named league MVP.
In 2022–2023, McDavid recorded a career-high 153 points (64 goals and 89 assists). Since former Pittsburgh Penguins icon Mario Lemieux scored 161 points in 1995–96, the Oilers star’s point total is the highest since that season.
The Oilers forward was second only to Draisaitl in power play goals (21) but led the league in points, goals, and assists. When McDavid scored 123 points in the 2021–22 season, it was the most he had ever scored in a single season.
McDavid has 850 points after only eight NHL seasons, ranking sixth all-time in the league after Wayne Gretzky (1,669), Jari Kurri (1,043), Mark Messier (1,034), and Glenn Anderson (906). Next season, McDavid might surpass Messier to take third place on the Oilers’ all-time points record.
On Monday night, other players also brought home hardware besides McDavid. The remaining NHL Award recipients are listed below:
Vezina Trophy: Linus Ullmark (Boston Bruins)
With 135 points, the Boston Bruins had the best regular season in NHL history. Linus Ullmark, the NHL’s best goaltender, was a major factor in this and was given some recognition when he was awarded the Vezina Trophy.
To win the prestigious prize, Ullmark bested Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets.
Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy, becoming the sixth goalie in Bruins history to do so and the first since Tuukka Rask did so in 2014. Tim Thomas received the title in both 2009 and 2011, while Pete Peeters was the first goaltender for the Bruins to do so in 1983.
Ullmark, who played in 49 games (48 starts) and equaled the Bruins’ single-season record for victories with 40, also led the league with a 1.89 goals-against average and a.938 save percentage. Along with fellow goaltender Jeremy Swayman, the 29-year-old also assisted the Bruins in setting an NHL record with 135 points during the course of the season.
Norris Trophy: Erik Karlsson (San Jose Sharks)
Erik Karlsson won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league, becoming just the second player in San Jose Sharks history to do so. Adam Fox of the New York Rangers and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche were beaten out for the prize by Karlsson.
Brent Burns (2016–17) and Karlsson are the only players in Sharks history to have taken home the Norris Trophy.
Since former Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch surpassed that milestone with 102 points during the 1991–92 season, Karlsson is the first defenseman to top 100 points in a season. The Sharks defender recorded 101 points (25 goals and 76 assists) in 82 games for the 2022–23 campaign.
Karlsson finished third in the league in assists with 76, trailing only Connor McDavid (89) and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (83). He did so while representing the Sharks, who finished the season with the fourth-fewest points (60) in the NHL.
Calder Trophy: Matty Beniers (Seattle Kraken)
The first player in Seattle Kraken history to win significant hardware is Matty Beniers. Beniers beat over Owen Power of the Buffalo Sabres, a former teammate from the University of Michigan, and Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie on Monday.
Beniers finished the regular season in fourth place on the squad with 57 points (24 goals & 33 assists). The No. 2 pick in 2021 outscored Arizona Coyotes forward Mason Matias Maccelli (49) and Anaheim Ducks forward Mason MacTavish (43) to take the league lead in rookie points among all NHL players.
Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins received the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward for the second straight year. For the distinction, Bergeron defeated Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils.
Bergeron, who has played with the Bruins for all 19 seasons of his career, now holds his sixth Selke Trophy. In addition, from 2012 to 2015, during the course of four seasons, Bergeron won the prize three times. In 78 games this season, the 37-year-old blocked 54 shots while creating 38 turnovers.
Jack Adams Award: Jim Montgomery (Boston Bruins)
Do you see a pattern here? Due to their historic season, the Bruins took home the majority of the league’s honors during the regular season.
The Bruins’ head coach Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award as the best head coach in the league after leading the team to an NHL record 135 points. Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken and Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils were beaten out by Montgomery. Third season as an NHL head coach, and first with the Bruins, for Montgomery.
Ted Lindsay Award: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Connor McDavid received the Ted Lindsay Award, earning him his second trophy of the evening. McDavid won the award over Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak and San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson.
The most outstanding player in the NHL, as chosen by his peers, receives the Ted Lindsay Award. The Oilers star has now received the Ted Lindsay Award four times in his professional career. McDavid, who had never scored more than 44 goals in a season, surpassed his previous career high (64) in goals.
Lady Byng Trophy: Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, who exhibited the league’s outstanding sportsmanship, was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy. With 77 first-place votes, Kopitar defeated Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils to win the prize.
A player receives the honor if they are “judged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”
Kopitar earned the Lady Byng Trophy after the 2015–16 season, therefore this is his second time winning it. In his 17th NHL season, Kopitar just completed one in which he recorded a team-high 74 points (28 goals & 46 assists). For the 15th time in his career, he led his team in scoring, which is third most in NHL history after Gordie Howe (17 times) and Wayne Gretzky (19 times).
Bill Masterton Trophy:
The Bill Masterton Trophy was won by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who defeated Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes and Alex Stalock of the Chicago Blackhawks. The prize is presented to the athlete who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
Letang experienced his second stroke of his NHL career during the 2022–2023 season, but he was back on the ice just 12 days later. In addition, the seasoned defenseman lost his father, Claude Fouquet, and Letang was compelled to spend time away from the club grieving the terrible loss. Since Mario Lemieux earned the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1993, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s cancer, Letang became the first member of the Penguins to do so.
