Hart Memorial Trophy

The Hart Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team. The winner is selected in a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association in all NHL cities at the end of the regular season.

The Hart Memorial Trophy was presented by the National Hockey League in 1960 after the original Hart Trophy was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The original Hart Trophy was donated to the NHL in 1923 by Dr. David A. Hart, father of Cecil Hart, former manager-coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

Wayne Gretzky won the award a record nine times during his career, including eight in a row from 1980-87. Gretzky and his Edmonton Oilers teammate Mark Messier are the only players to win the Hart with more than one team. In 1990, Messier took the Hart over Ray Bourque by a margin of two votes, the difference being a single first-place vote.

2011-12 WINNER evgeni malkin center - pit Goals: 50 | Assists: 59 | Pts: 109 Shots: 339 | +/-: 18

Players from the Canadiens have won the award 16 times; players from Boston Bruins are second with 12 winners, and the Detroit Red Wings and Oilers have seen players win the award nine times. Joe Thornton became the first Hart Trophy winner to switch clubs during his winning campaign in 2005–06, having played for both the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks that season.

The voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and each individual voter ranks his top five candidates on a 10-7-5-3-1 points system. Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs.

2012 winner Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins was a near-unanimous winner, earning 144 of 149 first-place votes

The closest the voting for the Hart Trophy has ever come was in the 2001–02 season, when Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla tied in the total voting. The tiebreaker in such a case is number of first-place votes: Theodore, who had 86 first-place votes to Iginla's 82, claimed it.

PAST RECIPIENTS
Year	Player	Team
2012	Evgeni Malkin	pittsburgh penguins
2011	Corey Perry	Anaheim Ducks
2010	Henrik Sedin	Vancouver Canucks
2009	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals
2008	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals
2007	Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins
2006	Joe Thornton	San Jose Sharks
2004	Martin St. Louis	Tampa Bay Lightning
2003	Peter Forsberg	Colorado Avalanche
2002	Jose Theodore	Montreal Canadiens
2001	Joe Sakic	Colorado Avalanche
2000	Chris Pronger	St. Louis Blues
1999	Jaromir Jagr	Pittsburgh Penguins
1998	Dominik Hasek	Buffalo Sabres
1997	Dominik Hasek	Buffalo Sabres
1996	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins
1995	Eric Lindros	Philadelphia Flyers
1994	Sergei Fedorov	Detroit Red Wings
1993	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins
1992	Mark Messier	New York Rangers
1991	Brett Hull	St. Louis Blues
1990	Mark Messier	Edmonton Oilers
1989	Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings
1988	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins
1987	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1986	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1985	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1984	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1983	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1982	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1981	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1980	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1979	Bryan Trottier	New York Islanders
1978	Guy Lafleur	Montreal Canadiens
1977	Guy Lafleur	Montreal Canadiens
1976	Bobby Clarke	Philadelphia Flyers
1975	Bobby Clarke	Philadelphia Flyers
1974	Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins
1973	Bobby Clarke	Philadelphia Flyers
1972	Bobby Orr	Boston Bruins
1971	Bobby Orr	Boston Bruins
1970	Bobby Orr	Boston Bruins
1969	Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins
1968	Stan Mikita	Chicago Blackhawks
1967	Stan Mikita	Chicago Blackhawks
1966	Bobby Hull	Chicago Blackhawks
1965	Bobby Hull	Chicago Blackhawks
1964	Jean Beliveau	Montreal Canadiens
1963	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings
1962	Jacques Plante	Montreal Canadiens
1961	Bernie Geoffrion	Montreal Canadiens
1960	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings
1959	Andy Bathgate	New York Rangers
1958	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings
1957	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings
1956	Jean Beliveau	Montreal Canadiens
1955	Ted Kennedy	Toronto Maple Leafs
1954	Al Rollins	Chicago Blackhawks
1953	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings
1952	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings
1951	Milt Schmidt	Boston Bruins
1950	Charlie Rayner	New York Rangers
1949	Sid Abel	Detroit Red Wings
1948	Buddy O'Connor	New York Rangers
1947	Maurice Richard	Montreal Canadiens
1946	Max Bentley	Chicago Blackhawks
1945	Elmer Lach	Montreal Canadiens
1944	Babe Pratt	Toronto Maple Leafs
1943	Bill Cowley	Boston Bruins
1942	Tom Anderson	Brooklyn Americans
1941	Bill Cowley	Boston Bruins
1940	Eddie Goodfellow	Detroit Red Wings
1939	Toe Blake	Montreal Canadiens
1938	Eddie Shore	Boston Bruins
1937	Babe Siebert	Montreal Canadiens
1936	Eddie Shore	Boston Bruins
1935	Eddie Shore	Boston Bruins
1934	Aurel Joliat	Montreal Canadiens
1933	Eddie Shore	Boston Bruins
1932	Howie Morenz	Montreal Canadiens
1931	Howie Morenz	Montreal Canadiens
1930	Nels Stewart	Montreal Maroons
1929	Roy Worters	New York Americans
1928	Howie Morenz	Montreal Canadiens
1927	Herb Gardiner	Montreal Canadiens
1926	Nels Stewart	Montreal Maroons
1925	Billy Burch	Hamilton Tigers
1924	Frank Nighbor	Ottawa Senators