The Elite History of the Conn Smythe Trophy

One of the many things that makes the NHL stand out over other leagues is their collection of individual trophies, mainly the prestigious Conn Smythe Trophy. It's an MVP trophy, but it's different from the other leagues. The NBA's trophy only covers the Finals, the NFL has the Super Bowl MVP, and while MLB is a bit more well-rounded, they only award MVPs in their two League Championship Series and the World Series. Regarding the NHL, the Conn Smythe Trophy goes to the MVP of the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not just the Stanley Cup Final--the full playoffs; from Round 1 to the finish. The reason is simple: it is most grueling to go through four rounds and get 16 wins in order to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup, and the NHL awards the player who did the most during that difficult quest.

The trophy was named after Conn Smythe, who owned the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1927 until 1961, and also built Maple Leaf Gardens, which served as the Leafs' home from 1931-1999. During his first five seasons as owner, Smythe also coached the team, but during his time as owner, the Leafs won eight Stanley Cups. The NHL named the titular trophy after him in 1965, and the old Smythe Division (which, ironically, the Leafs were never in) was also named after Conn Smythe.

The first winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy was the legendary Jean Béliveau from the Montréal Canadiens in 1965. It was the antepenultimate year of the old "Original Six" era, and that year, the Habs finished with the league's 2nd-best record behind the Detroit Red Wings. The Stanley Cup Semifinals saw the Habs defeat the Maple Leafs in six games, and later won a seven-game Cup Final over the Chicago Blackhawks. Béliveau had 16 points in that year's playoffs: eight goals and eight assists in 13 games played.

Dave Keon currently has the distinction as the only Maple Leafs player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. After the Leafs clinched the Stanley Cup on May 2, 1967, Keon--the longtime Leafs captain--was awarded the Smythe after racking up 8 points (3 G/5 A) in the tournament.

Though the Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded nearly 60 times, only seven players have won it more than once. Legendary defenseman Bobby Orr became the first to win it twice (doing so in 1970 and 1972), and is the only defenseman to win it twice. Goaltender Bernie Parent became the first back-to-back winner in 1974 and 1975, while Mario Lemieux (1991 & 1992) and Sidney Crosby (2016 & 2017) joined that short list. However, only one player won the prestigious trophy three times, and unsurprisingly, it's none other than Patrick Roy.

Considered by many (myself included) as the GOAT when it comes to goaltenders, Patrick Roy's first Conn Smythe Trophy came in 1986 with the Montréal Canadiens. His numbers during that run: 15-5, 1.93 GAA, .923 SV%, and one shutout. Roy's second trophy came in 1993, and his numbers in that Cup run: 16-4, 2.13 GAA, and a .929 SV%. After being traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 1995, Roy won two more Stanley Cups, but his third and last Conn Smythe Trophy came in 2001. Roy's numbers in the 2001 playoffs: 16-7, 1.70 GAA, .934 SV%, and four shutouts--two of the four taking place in that year's Stanley Cup Final.

Since the trophy's debut in 1965, there have been only five occurrences where the trophy went to a member of the losing team in the Stanley Cup Final. The second player to ever win it, Roger Crozier, was the goaltender of the Detroit Red Wings, who were defeated by the Canadiens that year. I was fortunate enough to bear witness during the fifth and most recent occurrence (to date) in 2003, which ended with the New Jersey Devils winning a seven-game Stanley Cup Final over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. I enjoyed the 2003 playoffs, even though it ended with early heartbreak for the Avalanche. It saw a lot of improbable moments, with the main one being the Mighty Ducks--in their 10th season--reaching the Final and nearly winning it.

The winner of the Conn Smythe that year was Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and even though he fell one win short of hoisting the Cup, his overall performance was more than enough for Giguere to win the Conn Smythe. Giguere went 15-6 during the 2003 playoffs, and boasted a GAA of 1.62, a .945 SV%, and five shutouts. This included the Ducks' four-game sweep of the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Final, which saw Giguere give up ONE GOAL in the entire series! Don't get me wrong: that Ducks team was good on their own, but without Giguere, they don't go anywhere. It was one of the most impressive runs I've seen from a goaltender who came up short of winning the Cup.

You would think that the Conn Smythe would mostly go to goalies, but actually, out of the 56 times that the trophy has been awarded, it has won by forwards 28 times, an even 50%. 19 of the forwards who won the trophy were centers, with only nine wingers winning it. 17 goaltenders have won the Conn Smythe; the most recent is Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was actually the first goalie to win the trophy since Jonathan Quick won it for the Kings in 2012. 11 defensemen have won the trophy; the most recent one being Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman. Those players joined elite company; legends such as Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Sakic, and of course Patrick Roy and The Great One, Wayne Gretzky.

Another great on that legendary list: the late, great Mike Bossy. On April 15, 2022, Mike Bossy passed away after a battle with lung cancer. Mike Bossy is a name I've heard a lot when it comes to the New York Islanders' dynasty, so that news really hit me. From what I've heard and learned, Bossy could be considered as the heart and soul of that Islanders dynasty, playing all ten seasons for the franchise. Bossy racked up 1,126 career points (573 G/553 A) in his decade with the Isles, and regarding playoffs: 85 goals, 75 assists, 160 points. His season high for playoff goals was 17, a number he reached three years straight. One of those years was 1982, which saw the Islanders win their third straight Stanley Cup, and Bossy's 17 goals and 10 assists in 19 games was enough for him to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Mike Bossy is in that same elite group as the names I mentioned. I also thought about Patrick Maroon, who is a current defending three-time Stanley Cup Champion. He's in that same company as Bossy, who was on the last team to win three straight. Mike Bossy is definitely one of the many players who brought prestige to the Conn Smythe Trophy, and he, just like all of the other legends, proved that the Conn Smythe Trophy is the hardest-earned individual prize in all of sports.