The Ted Lindsay Award is an annual award given to the “most outstanding player” in the National Hockey League (NHL) as voted by the members of the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA). The award was first presented in 1971, and it is named after Ted Lindsay, a former professional hockey player who was known for his skill and tenacity on the ice.
Prior to being renamed in 2010 to honor Lindsay, the award was known as the Lester B. Pearson Award. It was renamed to honor Lindsay in recognition of his contributions to the game of hockey, including his advocacy for the rights of players and his efforts to establish the NHL Players’ Association.
The Ted Lindsay Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the NHL, and it is often considered one of the “big three” awards along with the Hart Memorial Trophy (given to the league’s most valuable player) and the Art Ross Trophy (given to the league’s leading scorer).
- 1971: Phil Esposito
- 1972: Jean Ratelle
- 1973: Phil Esposito
- 1974: Bobby Clarke
- 1975: Bobby Orr
- 1976: Guy Lafleur
- 1977: Guy Lafleur
- 1978: Guy Lafleur
- 1979: Marcel Dionne
- 1980: Marcel Dionne
- 1981: Mike Liut
- 1982: Wayne Gretzky
- 1983: Wayne Gretzky
- 1984: Wayne Gretzky
- 1985: Wayne Gretzky
- 1986: Mario Lemieux
- 1987: Wayne Gretzky
- 1988: Mario Lemieux
- 1989: Steve Yzerman
- 1990: Mark Messier
- 1991: Brett Hull
- 1992: Mark Messier
- 1993: Mario Lemieux
- 1994: Sergei Fedorov
- 1995: Eric Lindros
- 1996: Mario Lemieux
- 1997: Dominik Hasek
- 1998: Dominik Hasek
- 1999: Jaromir Jagr
- 2000: Jaromir Jagr
- 2001: Joe Sakic
- 2002: Jarome Iginla
- 2003: Markus Naslund
- 2004: Martin St. Louis
- 2005: Award not presented (due to NHL lockout)
- 2006: Jaromir Jagr
- 2007: Sidney Crosby
- 2008: Alexander Ovechkin
- 2009: Alexander Ovechkin
- 2010: Alexander Ovechkin
- 2011: Daniel Sedin
- 2012: Evgeni Malkin
- 2013: Sidney Crosby
- 2014: Sidney Crosby
- 2015: Carey Price
- 2016: Patrick Kane
- 2017: Connor McDavid
- 2018: Connor McDavid
- 2019: Nikita Kucherov
- 2020: Leon Draisaitl
- 2021: Connor McDavid
- 2022: Connor McDavid
Note that the award was renamed the Ted Lindsay Award in 2010.
