Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy

Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
Award details
Sport Ice hockey
Given for National Hockey League's top goal scorer
History
First award 1998–99 NHL season
Most recent Alexander Ovechkin

The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, also known as the Maurice Richard Trophy,[1] is awarded annually to the leading goal scorer in the National Hockey League (NHL). It was donated to the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens hockey club in 1998–99 and is named in honour of the legendary Montreal Canadiens right winger Maurice "Rocket" Richard and was first won by Teemu Selanne. The current holder is Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who scored 50 goals during the 2015–16 season.

History

The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy was donated by the Montreal Canadiens to the NHL in 1999, and was first awarded at the end of the 1998–99 season. It is one of the newest of the NHL's trophies and is named in honour of the legendary right winger Maurice "Rocket" Richard, who spent his eighteen-season career with the Canadiens. He led the NHL in goal scoring five times and was the first NHL player to reach the 500-goal milestone. In 1944–45, Richard became the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season, doing so in just 50 games, the latter feat achieved by only four other players since then. However, Richard never finished higher than second in points, his closest miss coming in 1954–55.[2]

Although the Art Ross Trophy given to the NHL's leading points scorer often wins the Hart Memorial Trophy as league Most Valuable Player, only Alexander Ovechkin and Corey Perry have won both the Richard and the Hart in the same season; Ovechkin has accomplished this three times, in 2007–08, 2008–09, and 2012–13. Eleven players won the Hart in the same season in which they led the league in goals before the Richard Trophy was first awarded.[3]

Unlike the Art Ross Trophy, there are no tiebreakers for the Richard Trophy. As a result, it is possible for several players to share the award, such as when the 2003–04 season featured a three-way tie between 41-goal scorers Jarome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Rick Nash. The second time there was a tie for this award was in the 2009–10 season, when both Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos scored 51 goals each to win this award. Rick Nash is the youngest player to have won the trophy, being 19 years old upon receipt.

Alexander Ovechkin is the only player to have won the trophy at least three times; he won his sixth Richard Trophy in 2015–16. Only three other players (Pavel Bure, Jarome Iginla, and Steven Stamkos, with two trophies each) have won it more than once.

Winners

Alexander Ovechkin, six-time winner
Pavel Bure, two-time winner
Jarome Iginla, two-time winner
Steven Stamkos, two-time winner
Key
  Player is still active in NHL
Season Winner Team Goals Games #
1998–99 Selanne, TeemuTeemu Selanne Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 47 75 1 (3)
1999–2000 Bure, PavelPavel Bure Florida Panthers 58 74 1 (2)
2000–01 Bure, PavelPavel Bure Florida Panthers 59 82 2 (3)
2001–02 Iginla, JaromeJarome Iginla Calgary Flames 52 82 1
2002–03 Hejduk, MilanMilan Hejduk Colorado Avalanche 50 82 1
2003–04 Nash, RickRick Nash Columbus Blue Jackets 41 80 1
Kovalchuk, IlyaIlya Kovalchuk Atlanta Thrashers 41 81 1
Iginla, JaromeJarome Iginla Calgary Flames 41 81 2
2004–05 No winner was named due to the lockout.
2005–06 Cheechoo, JonathanJonathan Cheechoo San Jose Sharks 56 82 1
2006–07 Lecavalier, VincentVincent Lecavalier Tampa Bay Lightning 52 82 1
2007–08 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 65 82 1
2008–09 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 56 79 2
2009–10 Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 51 81 1
Stamkos, StevenSteven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 51 82 1
2010–11 Perry, CoreyCorey Perry Anaheim Ducks 50 82 1
2011–12 Stamkos, StevenSteven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 60 82 2
2012–13* Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 32 48 3
2013–14 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 51 78 4
2014–15 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 53 81 5
2015–16 Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 50 79 6

See also

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ "Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy history". NHL.com. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  2. ↑ "Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy history". Legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  3. ↑ "Hart Memorial Trophy history". NHL.com. Retrieved 2007-08-22.

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