In the grueling landscape of professional hockey, the ultimate goal is always the silver chalice. While individual accolades like the Hart or Norris trophies cement a player's legacy, the Stanley Cup is the benchmark of team success. However, every so often, a generational talent manages to transcend the divide between individual dominance and team triumph. Achieving the feat of winning a Stanley Cup and NHL award in the same year is a rarity that places a player in the upper echelon of hockey history.
The physical and mental toll of an 82-game regular season followed by a two-month postseason gauntlet makes it nearly impossible to sustain peak performance across both segments of the year. Often, the players who lead the league in scoring or goaltending find their teams eliminated early, or the eventual champions rely on a deep, balanced roster rather than a single award-winning superstar. Despite these odds, a few legendary names have managed to sweep the podium and the championship parade in a single season.
The Modern Standard: Cale Makar’s 2022 Masterclass
The most recent and perhaps most impressive example of winning a Stanley Cup and NHL award in the same year belongs to Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar. In the 2021-22 season, Makar put together a campaign for the ages, proving that a defenseman could dictate the pace of the modern game like never before.
Makar secured the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's top defenseman after recording 28 goals and 86 points in just 77 games. He followed that up by leading the Avalanche to a dominant postseason run, culminating in a championship victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Makar was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, making him one of only three defensemen in history—joining Bobby Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom—to win the Norris, the Conn Smythe, and the Stanley Cup in the same season.
The Goal Scoring Kings: Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin
In the late 2010s, the NHL’s two greatest rivals achieved back-to-back versions of the award-and-Cup double. While Alex Ovechkin is often the first name mentioned for this feat due to his emotional 2018 victory, Sidney Crosby actually achieved the milestone just one year prior.
In the 2016-17 season, Crosby led the league with 44 goals to capture the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. He then captained the Pittsburgh Penguins to their second consecutive title, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process. Not to be outdone, Ovechkin mirrored this success in 2017-18. "The Great Eight" won his seventh Rocket Richard Trophy with 49 goals and then powered the Washington Capitals to their first-ever franchise championship, also taking home the Conn Smythe. These back-to-back instances represent a rare era where the league's most lethal scorers were also its ultimate winners.
Differentiating the Scoring and MVP Droughts
It is important to distinguish between the various types of individual excellence, as some trophies are harder to pair with a Cup than others. While Crosby and Ovechkin won the goal-scoring title, the drought for the Art Ross Trophy (total points) and the Hart Memorial Trophy (League MVP) is notably longer.
The last player to win the Art Ross Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season was Evgeni Malkin in 2008-09. Malkin was unstoppable that year, leading the league with 113 points before guiding the Penguins to a championship. However, the Hart Trophy—the ultimate individual prize—has proven even more elusive. You have to go back to the 2003-04 season to find the last Hart Trophy winner to hoist the Cup: Martin St. Louis. St. Louis enjoyed a historic clean sweep that year with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning the Hart, the Art Ross, and the Ted Lindsay Award alongside his first championship ring.
A Breakdown of Other Major Awards and the Cup
Winning a Stanley Cup and NHL award in the same year extends to specialized roles and sportsmanship. Here is how long it has been since the league's other major trophies were paired with a championship:
The Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender)
While many believe Martin Brodeur was the last to achieve this in 2003, that distinction actually belongs to Tim Thomas. In 2010-11, Thomas put forth one of the greatest goaltending seasons in NHL history for the Boston Bruins. He won the Vezina Trophy with a then-record .938 save percentage and carried that momentum into the playoffs. Thomas won the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup, cementing his place as the last netminder to win the league's top goalie award and the title in the same campaign.
The Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward)
The Frank J. Selke Trophy is often won by players on deep, championship-caliber teams. The most recent player to win the Selke and the Cup in the same year was Ryan O'Reilly in 2018-19. O'Reilly was the heartbeat of the St. Louis Blues' miraculous turnaround, winning the Selke for his two-way dominance and the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP during the Blues' first-ever title run.
The Lady Byng and Calder Trophies
The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of play, was last won in a Cup year by Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings in 2007-08. As for the league's best newcomers, the Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) has not been paired with a Stanley Cup since Scott Gomez accomplished the feat with the New Jersey Devils in 1999-2000.
As the NHL enters an era of unprecedented parity, the difficulty of winning a Stanley Cup while also being recognized as the best individual at your position only grows. Whether it is a defenseman like Makar or a legendary captain like Crosby, those who achieve this double-trophy season ensure their names are etched into the record books forever.
Sources & Original Reporting
