Art Ross Trophy: Top Point Scorer in the NHL

Feb 14, 2008 | By John Doe | History Articles Archive

The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 59 times to 22 players since its inception in the 1947-48 NHL season. The current holder is Sidney Crosby, who scored 120 points in the 2006-07 NHL season and became the youngest scoring champion in major North American professional sports.

History

The Art Ross Trophy was presented to the National Hockey League in 1947 by Arthur Howie "Art" Ross, former general manager and head coach of the Boston Bruins and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee as a player.[1] Elmer Lach was the winner of the first Art Ross Trophy, which was awarded at the conclusion of the 1947-48 NHL season.

Wayne Gretzky won the Art Ross Trophy 10 times during his 20-year NHL career. Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux won it six times. The non-Canadian player with most awards is Czech Jaromir Jagr. Gretzky is the only player to win the trophy for more than one team and Joe Thornton is the only player to win it while playing for two different teams in one season.

Players from the Pittsburgh Penguins have won the trophy 12 times; players from the Montreal Canadiens have won it nine times and the Chicago Blackhawks have seen players win the award eight times.[2] For two decades, from 1980 to 2001, only three players won the Art Ross Trophy—Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Jaromir Jagr. The streak ended when Jarome Iginla won the trophy in 2002. In 2007, 19-year-old Sidney Crosby became the youngest player to win the Art Ross Trophy and the youngest scoring champion in any major North American professional sport.[3] Only one defenseman has won the NHL scoring title: Bobby Orr did it in 1969–70 and 1974–75.[4]

The NHL rules stipulate three tiebreakers in case two or more players are tied in points:

   1. Player with most goals
   2. Player with fewer games played
   3. Player scoring first goal of the season

Winners

Season	Winner	Team	Pts	Win #
1947–48	Elmer Lach	Montreal Canadiens	061	1
1948–49	Roy Conacher	Chicago Black Hawks	068	1
1949–50	Ted Lindsay	Detroit Red Wings	078	1
1950–51	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	086	1
1951–52	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	086	2
1952–53	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	095	3
1953–54	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	081	4
1954–55	Bernie Geoffrion	Montreal Canadiens	075	1
1955–56	Jean Beliveau	Montreal Canadiens	088	1
1956–57	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	089	5
1957–58	Dickie Moore	Montreal Canadiens	084	1
1958–59	Dickie Moore	Montreal Canadiens	096	2
1959–60	Bobby Hull	Chicago Black Hawks	081	1
1960–61	Bernie Geoffrion	Montreal Canadiens	095	2
1961–62	Bobby Hull	Chicago Black Hawks	084	2
1962–63	Gordie Howe	Detroit Red Wings	086	6
1963–64	Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks	089	1
1964–65	Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks	087	2
1965–66	Bobby Hull	Chicago Black Hawks	097	3
1966–67	Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks	097	3
1967–68	Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks	087	4
1968–69	Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins	126	1
1969–70	Bobby Orr	Boston Bruins	120	1
1970–71	Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins	152	2
1971–72	Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins	133	3
1972–73	Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins	130	4
1973–74	Phil Esposito	Boston Bruins	145	5
1974–75	Bobby Orr	Boston Bruins	135	2
1975–76	Guy Lafleur	Montreal Canadiens	125	1
1976–77	Guy Lafleur	Montreal Canadiens	136	2
1977–78	Guy Lafleur	Montreal Canadiens	132	3
1978–79	Bryan Trottier	New York Islanders	134	1
1979–80	Marcel Dionne	Los Angeles Kings	137	1
1980–81	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	164	1
1981–82	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	212	2
1982–83	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	196	3
1983–84	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	205	4
1984–85	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	208	5
1985–86	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	215	6
1986–87	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers	183	7
1987–88	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	168	1
1988–89	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	199	2
1989–90	Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings	142	8
1990–91	Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings	163	9
1991–92	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	131	3
1992–93	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	160	4
1993–94	Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings	130	10
1994–95	Jaromir Jagr	Pittsburgh Penguins	070	1
1995–96	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	161	5
1996–97	Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh Penguins	122	6
1997–98	Jaromir Jagr	Pittsburgh Penguins	102	2
1998–99	Jaromir Jagr	Pittsburgh Penguins	127	3
1999–00	Jaromir Jagr	Pittsburgh Penguins	096	4
2000–01	Jaromir Jagr	Pittsburgh Penguins	121	5
2001–02	Jarome Iginla	Calgary Flames	096	1
2002–03	Peter Forsberg	Colorado Avalanche	106	1
2003–04	Martin St. Louis	Tampa Bay Lightning	094	1
2004–05	No winner due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout	-	-	-
2005–06	Joe Thornton	San Jose Sharks	125	1
2006–07	Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins	120	1

Art Ross Trophy: Top Point Scorer in the NHL

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