- Connor McDavis wins 2nd Hart Trophy as unanimous choice.
- McDavid led the league in scoring with 105 points in 56 games and was also the NHL’s assists leader with 72.
- He is the second unanimous MVP Winner after Wayne Gretzky who accomplished the feat during the 1981-82 season.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid won the NHL’s 2021 MVP award at the NHL’s min award celebration on Tuesday night.
McDavid was the betting favorite to win the Hart Trophy at the best NHL betting sites and he did just that on Tuesday, doing so in historic fashion. He took home the award as only the second player to win unanimously after a remarkable scoring year.
Second Unanimous Hart Trophy Winner Ever
Connor McDavid is just the second unanimous winner of the Hart Trophy, joining Wayne Gretzky in 1981-82.
(Voting by Professional Hockey Writers’ Association) pic.twitter.com/wfrCIxIMC5
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) June 29, 2021
McDavid did not just win the MVP award, he did so via sweep, taking all 100 first place votes in the balloting and tallying 1,000 points. Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews earned 69 second place votes to finish second with 600 points while Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon came in third with six second place and 40 third place votes for 313 points.
By winning unanimously, McDavis is the first to achieve that since Wayne Gretzky in 1981-82, while also playing for the Oilers. That season, The Great One scored 212 points and got all 63 first place votes as the league’s first ever unanimous MVP choice. McDavid meanwhile, is the first unanimous Hart Trophy winner in the 100-first place votes era.
McDavid is likewise the 5th player to win multiple Hart Trophies before the age of 25 and is the 19th player to win multiple MVP awards. He won the Hart Trophy after teammate Leon Draisaitl won the award last season, making them the first teammates to win consecutive Hart Trophies since Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr did it for the Boston Bruins in 1969 and 1970.
105 Points in 56 Games Played
105 points in 56 games played
Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97) is taking home his third Art Ross Trophy! ? #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/VJbXZvHMF1
— NHL (@NHL) May 19, 2021
McDavid led the league in scoring with 105 points in just 56 games played. He became the first player since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr during the 1995-96 season to score 100 points in 53 games. McDavid also joined Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as the only active players to score 100+ points in four different seasons before turning 25 years old.
His scoring average of 1.88 points per game was also the highest since Lemieux’s 2.30 average during the 1995-96 NHL season and it is the 22nd best scoring average in NHL history. Only legends Wayne Gretzky, Lemieux, Phil Esposito, Steve Yzerman, Bernie Nicholls, and Adam Oates have recorded a better points-per-game average than McDavid’s 2020-21 season average. The Oilers’ captain also led the league with 72 assists this season.
Aside from his second MVP award and third Art Ross trophy, McDavid also took home his third Ted Lindsay Award as the league’s Most Outstanding Player in the regular season as judged by the NHL Player Association. He is only the 7th player to win the Lindsay Award at least three times and only the third after Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin to win it thrice at the age of 24 or younger.
