Art Ross Trophy – About The NHL Trophy For Most Points
Every season, various awards are awarded to NHL players for leading the league in a specific stat or for being effective on the ice. We’ll look at one of the most important accolades and medals given to NHL players: the Art Ross Trophy.
Although it is just like many of the other trophies like the Hart, Calder, Norris, Ted Lindsay, and more, there is a peculiarity that makes it stand out.
About the Art Ross In The NHL
The Art Ross Trophy is given to the NHL player who has the most points at the end of the regular season. This implies it is granted to the player who has the most points in the league during the regular season.
Moreover, to determine a player’s total points total for a given season, the league adds up all of the goals and assists produced by the player throughout that season. This is then used to rank players on the NHL’s player point leaderboard.
What If There Is A Tie Between Players With The Same Number Of Points?
When there is a tie between two or more players of equal points, the league uses three main separators as tie-breakers.
- The first is the player with the most goals:
The player with the most goals among the tied players is rated first, with the others following. This indicates that the ranking criterion shifts from the number of points to the number of goals scored by the tied players. - Second, is the player with the least number of games:
If there are still players who are tied after the first separator, the league prefers the players who have played the fewest games. This is because such a player was able to accumulate the same number of points despite playing fewer games. - Lastly, the player who scored the first goal in that season:
In the event that the players are still tied, they are ranked based on who scored the first goal in that season.
Yet, the screening of tied players has not progressed to the second phase, as the first separator generally reveals the leader. These separators were employed in the following situations:
- Brett Hull And Andy Bathgate (1961-62)
- Marcel Dionne And Wayne Gretzky (1979-80)
- Jaromir Jagr over Eric Lindros (1994-95)
About The History Of The Art Ross Trophy
The head coach and general manager of the Boston Bruins at the time gave the Art Ross Trophy to the NHL in 1947. The coach’s name, Arthur Howey Ross, is where the term “Art Ross” originated.
Canadian Arthur Howey Ross was a defenseman throughout his playing career. He was one of the first defensemen to move up ice with the puck rather than pass to a forward and he was regarded as the best defenseman of his era.
In addition, he participated in hockey for 13 seasons (1905–1918) before being hired in 1924 as the team’s inaugural head coach and general manager. He led the team as coach until 1945 when he resigned after the Bruins led the league ten times and won three Stanley Cups.
He presented the trophy to the league two years after stepping down as head coach, and the Art Ross Trophy was presented for the first time the following season.
Furthermore, the Art Ross trophy has been given out 75 times overall, starting with that period (1947–1948 season) and continuing until the present 2022–2023 season. It is 75 times rather than 76 times due to the NHL lockout season in 2004–2005.
Art Ross Trophy Winners
Over the years, the NHL has recognized various Art Ross winners. As I mentioned before, since it was first given out in 1947–1948, the Art Ross Award has been given out 75 times. Yet, despite being given out 75 times, only 31 players have actually carried the trophy (as of the 2022-23 season).
The NHL players that have won the Art Ross Trophy will be discussed in this section. Let’s move on.
Who Has Won The Most Art Ross Trophy?
Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One”, holds the record for holding the most Art Ross awards in NHL history. After finishing 10 seasons as the league’s highest point scorer, Wayne Gretzky still stands as the player with the most Art Ross trophies.
In addition, across the 10 awards, he has recorded the most straight Art trophies, scoring the most points for seven straight seasons (1980-81 to 1986-87).
| Season | Number Of Points |
| 1980-81 | 164 |
| 1981-82 | 212 |
| 1982-83 | 196 |
| 1983-84 | 205 |
| 1984-85 | 208 |
| 1985-86 | 215 |
| 1986-87 | 183 |
| 1989-90 | 142 |
| 1990-91 | 164 |
| 1993-94 | 130 |
There are no players in NHL history, besides Gretzky, who have won the Art Ross 10 times. Some who have come close include Connor McDavid, Mario Lemieux, and Gordie Howe.
The active NHL player with the most Art Ross awards is Connor McDavid, who has won five of them. From the 2020–21 NHL season to the 2022–23 NHL season, he won five Ross awards, three of which were consecutive.
NHL Team With Most Art Ross Trophy Winners
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the team with the most Art Ross, ever awarded to an NHL franchise. 15 Art Trophies have been given to team members of the Penguins in total.
Six of the fifteen times the team won the trophy, it went to Mario Lemieux, followed by Jaromir Jagr with five, Sidney Crosby with two, and Evgeni Malkin with two. Adjacent to the Pittsburgh Penguins are the 12-time champion Edmonton Oilers. Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid have each taken home an Art Trophy for the Edmonton Oilers team.
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However, while Gretzky was awarded 7 trophies in the Oilers, 5 trophies came from McDavid.
| NHL Teams | No. Of Art Ross Trophies |
| Montreal Canadiens | 9 |
| Boston Bruins | 8 |
| Tampa Bay Lightnings | 3 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 12 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 15 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 9 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 7 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 5 |
| Calgary Flames | 1 |
| Dallas Stars | 1 |
| New York Islanders | 1 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 2 |
| Washington Capitals | 1 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 1 |
| Total | 75 |
Art Ross Trophy Winners By Year
Winner For The 2022-23 Season
For the fifth and third consecutive time, McDavid led the NHL in total points in the regular season. The center of the Edmonton Oilers played all 82 games of the regular season, scoring 64 goals and 89 assists. Next to him for that season was Leon Draisaitl, who recorded 52 goals and 76 assists.
| Players | Point For 2022-23 Season |
| Connor McDavid | 153 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 126 |
| David Pastrnak | 113 |
| Nikita Kucherov | 113 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 111 |
Winner For The 2021-22 Season
The Art Trophy won by McDavid again in the 2021-22 season was his fourth trophy. For that season, he accumulated a total of 44 goals and 79 assists to reach a total of 123 points. Next to McDavid is Jonny Gaudreau, with 40 goals and 75 assists. However, while Gaudreau played 82 games, McDavid played only 80 games.
| Players | Point For 2021-22 Season |
| Connor McDavid | 123 |
| Johnny Gaudreau | 115 |
| Jonathan Huberdeau | 115 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 110 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | 108 |
Winner For The 2020-21 Season
The 2020-21 regular season was not a complete season because of the pandemic. Therefore, the number of games was limited to 56 instead of the regular 82 games. Connor McDavid won his third Art Ross this season, getting a total of 105 points from 33 goals and 72 assists.
| Players | Points For 2020-21 Season |
| Connor McDavid | 105 |
| Leon Draisaitl | 84 |
| Brad Marchand | 69 |
| Mitchell Marner | 67 |
| Auston Matthews | 66 |
Winner For The 2019-20 Season
The Art Ross trophy for the 2019-2020 season was won by Leon Draisaitl, making him the first German NHL player to ever win the title. Leon Draisaitl, who has had a close margin in points over the years, finally topped the league for the first time. He had 110 points from 43 goals and 67 assists.
| Players | Points For 2019-20 Season |
| Leon Draisaitl | 110 |
| Connor McDavid | 97 |
| David Pastrnak | 95 |
| Artemi Panarin | 95 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 93 |
Facts About The Art Ross Trophy
Here are some facts that you might not have known about the Art Ross trophy.
- The first winner of the Art Ross trophy is Elmer Lach of the Montreal Canadiens
- The NHL franchise with the most Art trophies is the Pittsburgh Penguins
- Joe Thornton is the only player to win the Art Trophy by playing for two teams in a regular season (the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks)
- The most consecutive Art Ross is by Wayne Gretzky (7 Ross trophies)
- The most Ross trophy by a player is also by Wayne Gretzky
- The youngest player to win the Art Ross is Sidney Crosby, at age of 19
- Meanwhile, the oldest NHL player to win the Ross trophy is Martin St. Louis, at the age of 37
- Bobby Orr is the only defenseman to win the Art Ross
- Only 14 NHL teams have players who are Art Ross winners
Conclusion
The NHL considers the Art Ross to be quite important. Almost every player who won the Art Ross Trophy was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame, making it the most coveted individual prize a player can win. Jaromir Jagr is the only retired player who won the Art Ross and hasn’t been inducted.
It is genuinely amazing to be in charge of a league with as much skill as the NHL. The ability to do it repeatedly is what distinguishes legends in the league, though.
Thank you for reading.
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