Conn Smythe Winners
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded each year, right before the Stanley Cup is presented, to the player selected as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. The Conn Smythe trophy was first presented at the conclusion of the 1965 playoffs after it was donated to the NHL in 1964 by Maple Leaf Gardens Limited in honor of Conn Smythe who was a former coach, manager, president and owner/governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The building replicated on the trophy is Maple Leaf Gardens, and you can read more about Conn Smythe following the list of winners. Also see our complete list of Stanley Cup Winners.
Conn Smythe Winners are selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association during the last game of the playoffs. Votes are cast at the end of the second period in any game the Stanley Cup can be won. If the series is extended, the votes are thrown away and started over during the next game.
The winner is the player thought to be the most valuable to his team in the course of the playoffs. The players chosen is always from one of the two teams in the Stanley Cup finals, most often from the winning team but occasionally also from the runner-up. It is presented by the NHL commissioner, and each winner gets his name and team engraved on a maple leaf on the trophy.
Conn Smythe Winners
The following is a list of every player who has won the Conn Smythe Trophy, from 1965 through present. An asterix beside the name indicates that player was on the team that lost in the finals. All others were from the Stanley Cup winning team. The list includes year, name of winner, position and their team.
| 2012 | Jonathan Quick | G | Los Angeles Kings |
| 2011 | Tim Thomas | G | Boston Bruins |
| 2010 | Jonathan Toews | F | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 2009 | Evgeni Malkin | F | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 2008 | Henrik Zetterberg | F | Detroit Red Wings |
| 2007 | Scott Niedermayer | D | Anaheim Ducks |
| 2006 | Cam Ward | G | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 2005 | No Winner | NHL Lockout | |
| 2004 | Brad Richards | G | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2003 | Jean-Sebastien Giguere* | G | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| 2002 | Nicklas Lidstrom | D | Detroit Red Wings |
| 2001 | Patrick Roy | G | Colorado Avalanche |
| 2000 | Scott Stevens | D | New Jersey Devils |
| 1999 | Joe Nieuwendyk | F | Dallas Stars |
| 1998 | Steve Yzerman | F | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1997 | Mike Vernon | G | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1996 | Joe Sakic | F | Colorado Avalanche |
| 1995 | Claude Lemieux | F | New Jersey Devils |
| 1994 | Brian Leetch | D | New York Rangers |
| 1993 | Patrick Roy | G | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1992 | Mario Lemieux | F | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 1991 | Mario Lemieux | F | Pittsburgh Pengiuns |
| 1990 | Bill Ranford | G | Edmonton Oilers |
| 1989 | Al MacInnis | D | Calgary Flames |
| 1988 | Wayne Gretzky | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| 1987 | Ron Hextall* | G | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1986 | Patrick Roy | G | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1985 | Wayne Gretzky | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| 1984 | Mark Messier | F | Edmonton Oilers |
| 1983 | Billy Smith | G | New York Islanders |
| 1982 | Mike Bossy | F | New York Islanders |
| 1981 | Butch Goring | F | New York Islanders |
| 1980 | Bryan Trottier | F | New York Islanders |
| 1979 | Bob Gainey | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1978 | Larry Robinson | D | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1977 | Guy Lafleur | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1976 | Reggie Leach* | F | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1975 | Bernie Parent | G | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1974 | Bernie Parent | G | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1973 | Yvan Cournoyer | F | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1972 | Bobby Orr | D | Boston Bruins |
| 1971 | Ken Dryden | G | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1970 | Bobby Orr | D | Boston Bruins |
| 1969 | Serge Savard | D | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1968 | Glenn Hall* | G | St. Louis Blues |
| 1967 | Dave Keon | F | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1966 | Roger Crozier* | G | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1965 | Jean Beliveau | F | Montreal Canadiens |
Conn Smythe: Who Was He?
Without Conn Smythe there would be no Conn Smythe winners, so here is a little background information on the man.
His official name is Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe and he was born on February 1, 1895 in Toronto. He was the major owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1927 to 1961 and is responsible for the building of Maple Leaf Gardens. The Leafs won the Stanley Cup 11 times during his ownership. After his tenure as owner, the Conn Smythe trophy was donated to the NHL in honor of him. The previous Smythe Division that was used before the current division names was also named after him.
Smythe also did a lot outside the hockey world. He fought in both World Wars, he owned a successful sand and gravel business, he owned race horses and two of his horses won the Queen’s Plate, and he founded the Conn Smythe Foundation which raised lots of money for the Ontario Society for Crippled Children and the Variety Club. He led a fascinating life and you can read much more about it here: Conn Smythe. He passed away on November 18, 1980.
