Hart Trophy: NHL MVP voting, winners and every Canadiens winner

The Hart Trophy goes to the NHL player judged most valuable to his team during the regular season. As of November 11, 2026, the holder is Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won his second Hart for 2025-26. The Montreal Canadiens have won it 17 times, most recently with Carey Price in 2014-15. Here is how the vote works, the history of the trophy, every Canadiens winner and the winners since 2010-11.

The Hart Trophy at a glance

• Awarded to: the player most valuable to his team in the regular season. Playoff games do not count.
• Who votes: members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
• Current winner: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay, 2025-26, announced June 11, 2026.
• Most wins: Wayne Gretzky, 9.
• Canadiens: 17 Hart Trophies, won by 13 different players.
• Montreal link: the original trophy was donated by Dr. David Hart, the father of Canadiens coach and general manager Cecil Hart.

How the Hart Trophy vote works

Each voter ranks five players. First place is worth 10 points, second 7, third 5, fourth 3 and fifth 1. The NHL names three finalists from the totals, and the winner is revealed after the playoffs.

Because it is a vote on value to a team, the Hart is not the same as the scoring title. The Art Ross Trophy goes automatically to the player with the most points. In 2025-26 the two went different ways: Connor McDavid won the Art Ross with 138 points, and also the Ted Lindsay Award, while the writers gave the Hart to Kucherov. Goaltenders and defencemen are eligible too, and both have won it.

Who won the 2025-26 Hart Trophy?

Kucherov won it, ahead of the other two finalists, McDavid of Edmonton and Nathan MacKinnon of Colorado. NHL.com reported that he finished 10 voting points ahead of McDavid. Kucherov had 130 points (44 goals and 86 assists) in 76 games, second in the league in points, and led the NHL with 1.71 points per game. He had at least one point in 60 of his 76 games. It was his second Hart, after 2018-19.

History of the trophy

Dr. David Hart gave the original trophy to the NHL in 1923. Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators was the first winner, for 1923-24. The original was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960, and the league began presenting a new trophy in its place under the name Hart Memorial Trophy.

Wayne Gretzky won it nine times, more than any other player. Among goaltenders, eight players have won it nine times in total, Dominik Hasek twice. The last defenceman to win it was Chris Pronger in 1999-2000; Bobby Orr won three in a row from 1969-70 to 1971-72, and Eddie Shore won four in the 1930s.

Every Canadiens Hart Trophy winner

Howie Morenz won it three times, the most of any Canadien, and Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur won it twice each. Three Montreal goaltenders have won it: Jacques Plante, José Théodore and Carey Price. Of the eight goalies in league history to win the Hart, three played for the Canadiens. No Canadien has won it since Price in 2014-15. For the team's current scoring leaders, see our NHL scoring leaders page and the Canadiens roster.

Montreal's names on the NHL's scoring awards

The Canadiens' ties to NHL awards go beyond the Hart. Elmer Lach won the Hart for 1944-45 and then the first Art Ross Trophy, for 1947-48. Maurice Richard won the Hart for 1946-47, and the Canadiens later donated the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, which has gone to the league's top goal scorer since 1998-99. So a Canadiens connection runs through the MVP award, the points title and the goals title.

Richard also holds the Canadiens record with 26 career hat tricks, as our hat trick guide shows.

When is the Hart Trophy announced?

The NHL names three finalists, and the winner is revealed after the playoffs. For 2025-26 the NHL surprised Kucherov with the trophy at the Lightning's practice facility, and the announcement came on June 11, 2026, a few days before the end of the Stanley Cup Final. The 2026-27 winner will be known in June 2027.

Hart Trophy winners since 2010-11

McDavid has won it three times in this span, in 2016-17, 2020-21 and 2022-23. Connor Hellebuyck's win for 2024-25 was the first by a goaltender since Price. Edmonton players won four of the last 10.

How the Hart Trophy race fits with betting

Sportsbooks often post the Hart as a futures bet: you pick the winner months before the vote, and the bet is settled only when the trophy is announced in June. Two things make it different from a scoring title. First, a vote decides it, so a player can lead the league in points and still finish second, as McDavid did in 2025-26. Second, the stake is tied up all season, while injuries and a team missing the playoffs can change how writers see a player's value.

The live scoring race is the best place to follow the early contenders: our NHL scoring leaders page lists the top 20 in points, goals and assists, updated through the season. For Canadiens markets, see our Habs betting guide.

In Quebec, Mise-o-jeu is Loto-Québec's legal sports betting platform. Set a deposit limit before placing long-term bets, and only bet what you can afford to lose.

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Hart Memorial Trophy" (criteria, voting system, history, winners by team and position, Canadiens winners).
• NHL.com, "Nikita Kucherov gagnant du trophée Hart 2025-26", June 11, 2026 (finalists, voting margin, 2025-26 statistics, Ted Lindsay Award).
• Wikipedia, "Art Ross Trophy" (first winner, 2025-26 winner and points).
• Wikipedia, "Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy" (donor, first season).
• Wikipedia, "2026 Stanley Cup Final" (Game 6 date, June 14, 2026).