The Hart Memorial Trophy is basically the MVP award on steroids. It’s not just about who scored the most goals or which goalie stood on his head for eighty-two games straight. No, the definition is "the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team." That’s a massive distinction. It’s why you’ll see someone like Wayne Gretzky winning it nine times, but you’ll also see years where the hockey world loses its collective mind because a guy on a playoff-bubble team took home the hardware over a superstar on a juggernaut.
When you look at the long list of hart memorial trophy winners, you're looking at the DNA of hockey history. It started back in 1924. Cecil Hart’s dad donated the trophy, and ever since, the Professional Hockey Writers' Association has been the judge, jury, and occasionally the executioner of player legacies.
The Great One and the Era of Total Dominance
Wayne Gretzky. Honestly, what else is there to say? The guy won the Hart eight years in a row. Imagine being so much better than every other human on ice that the writers just stopped looking at other candidates for nearly a decade. Between 1980 and 1987, the trophy lived in Edmonton. It wasn't just the points, though 215 points in a single season (1985-86) is a joke. It was the fact that the Oilers without Gretzky would have been a completely different, significantly worse franchise.
Then you have Mario Lemieux. If Gretzky was the surgeon, Mario was the force of nature. He won three Harts, but it probably should have been more. Cancer and a back that basically didn't work limited his totals. But in 1992-93? He missed two months for Hodgkin’s treatment, came back, and still won the scoring title and the Hart. That’s not just being a good hockey player; that’s legendary status.
Why the Definition of "Valuable" Changes Every Year
People get confused. They think the Hart goes to the best player. Sometimes it does. Often, though, it goes to the guy carrying the heaviest load.
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Take Taylor Hall in 2017-18. He wasn't the "best" player in the NHL that year—Connor McDavid exists, after all. But Hall dragged a New Jersey Devils team kicking and screaming into the playoffs. He had 41 more points than the next closest guy on his roster. That is the literal definition of being the most valuable to your team. Without Hall, the Devils are a lottery team. With him, they were a playoff threat.
Then you have the goalies. It’s rare. Very rare.
- Dominik Hasek did it back-to-back in '97 and '98.
- Jose Theodore grabbed it in 2002.
- Carey Price had that unbelievable 2015 run.
When a goalie wins the Hart, it’s usually because the skaters in front of them were mediocre at best. Hasek was a "wall" in Buffalo. He didn't just stop pucks; he demoralized entire cities. If a goalie is winning the Hart, it means the league was either low-scoring that year or that specific netminder was playing a different sport than everyone else.
The Modern Era: McDavid, MacKinnon, and the New Guard
We’re living in a weirdly spoiled era for hockey talent. Connor McDavid has already stacked three Harts (2017, 2021, 2023). In 2021, he won it unanimously. Every single voter put him at number one. That’s only happened twice—Gretzky was the other one.
But look at Nathan MacKinnon in 2024. He finally got his. For years, he was the bridesmaid, finishing second or third. The Hart race is often about narrative. MacKinnon had the "it's his turn" vibe combined with a season where he was basically a human highlight reel every single night in Colorado.
Does Defense Even Matter?
Hardly ever.
Seriously, look at the list of hart memorial trophy winners. Since Bobby Orr stopped flying through the air in the 70s, only one defenseman has won it: Chris Pronger in 2000. That’s wild. Defensemen are on the ice for 25 to 30 minutes a game. They run the power play. They kill penalties. Yet, the writers almost always give the nod to the flashy center with 120 points.
Pronger won it by a single point over Jaromir Jagr. One point! It remains one of the most controversial votes in NHL history. Some writers argued that a defenseman couldn't possibly be more valuable than a peak Jagr, while others pointed out that Pronger was a +52 and played half the game.
The Snubs and the "What Ifs"
Jarome Iginla losing to Jose Theodore in 2002 still keeps Calgary Flames fans up at night. They tied in total voting points. Theodore won because he had more first-place votes. There were rumors—never officially proven, but widely discussed—that one voter left Iginla off their ballot entirely just to sway the result. Whether that's true or not, it shows how subjective this whole thing is.
And what about Sidney Crosby? Only two Harts. It feels low, doesn't it? But injuries and the rise of Alex Ovechkin (who has three) carved into his trophy case. Ovi’s 2008-2010 run was pure goal-scoring violence. He was hitting everything that moved and scoring 50+ goals like it was easy.
How to Analyze a Hart Campaign Like a Pro
If you're trying to figure out who's going to win in a given year, don't just look at the NHL.com leaderboard. That’s rookie stuff. You have to look at the "Gap."
- The Roster Gap: How much better is the candidate than his teammates? If a guy has 100 points and his teammate has 95, they might split the vote. If a guy has 100 and his teammate has 50, he’s the favorite.
- The Playoff Line: If your team misses the playoffs, you almost never win. Mario Lemieux (1988) and Connor McDavid (2018) are the rare exceptions where the individual performance was so staggering it didn't matter that the team was garbage.
- Narrative Fatigue: Voters get bored. They don't want to give it to the same guy five years in a row unless he’s literally breaking the game like Gretzky did.
- Clutch Factor: Does the player score the game-winner in April when the season is on the line? Writers love that stuff.
The Hart Trophy isn't a math equation. It's a vibe check conducted by people who watch 82 games a year. It’s about who made the biggest impact on the ice and in the standings.
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The Evolution of the Vote
Back in the day, the voting was a bit of a "good old boys" club. Now, there’s a massive push for analytics. You’ll hear voters talking about "Expected Goals For" (xGF) and "Corsi" numbers. They want to see if a player’s production is sustainable or if they’re just getting lucky with a high shooting percentage.
This shift has actually made it harder for certain types of players to win. A "garbage goal" specialist who doesn't drive play in the neutral zone is going to get crushed by the analytics crowd, even if he puts up 50 goals. The modern hart memorial trophy winners are almost always elite "play drivers"—guys who have the puck on their stick more than anyone else and make good things happen every time they touch it.
Actionable Insights for Hockey Fans
If you're following the race this season or looking back at the greats, here’s how to actually value a player’s Hart worthiness:
- Check the "On-Ice/Off-Ice" splits: Look at how the team performs when that player is on the bench. If the team’s goal differential craters when the star sits, that’s your MVP.
- Ignore the "Power Play Merchant" tag: People love to complain that someone only scores on the man advantage. Who cares? If they’re the reason the power play is 30% effective, they are providing massive value.
- Watch the Strength of Schedule: If a player is feasting on bottom-feeders but disappears against top-ten teams, the writers will notice. The real winners show up against the best.
- Follow the PHWA tracking: Many writers now publish their ballots mid-season. Following guys like Frank Seravalli or Chris Johnston gives you a window into how the consensus is forming.
The Hart Memorial Trophy remains the most prestigious individual award in hockey because it’s so hard to define. It’s not just a trophy for the best stats; it’s a recognition of the player who carried the heaviest burden and succeeded anyway. Whether it’s McDavid’s speed, Gretzky’s vision, or Hasek’s flexibility, the winners represent the absolute peak of what a human can do on skates.