An annual award “presented to the player finishing the regular season as the League’s goal-scoring leader.” History: A gift to the NHL from the Montreal Canadiens in 1999, the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy honors one of the game’s greatest stars. During his 18-year career with the Canadiens from 1942-43 through 1959-60, Richard was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season and 500 in his career. He played on eight Stanley Cup champions and led the League in goal scoring five times. Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin claimed his fourth consecutive and sixth career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader, adding to the ones he earned in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15. Ovechkin became the third player in NHL history to record seven 50-goal seasons, following Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky who each had nine. He also became the third player in NHL history to post 30+ goals in each of his first 11 seasons, joining Mike Gartner (15) and Gretzky (13). Ovechkin, who finished 2015-16 ahead of Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (46) and Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn (41), recorded his 500th career goal during the season. He reached the milestone in his 801st NHL game - fifth-fastest in league history behind Gretzky (575), Mario Lemieux (605), Bossy (647) and Brett Hull (693). The Moscow native, who surpassed Sergei Fedorov (483) as the highest-scoring Russian-born player in NHL history, has compiled 164 more goals, 71 more power-play goals and 20 more game-winning goals than any other player since entering the NHL in 2005-06.

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 1998Ð99 season. It is one of the newest of the NHLs 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 1944Ð45, Richard became the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season, doing so in just 50 games, the latter feat only achieved by a handful of players since then. However, the scoring title eluded Richard, and the closest that he got to it was in 1954.