Lester B. Pearson Award

NHL award
trophy_name=Lester B. Pearson Award

---

Established=1971-72 NHL season
Holder=Alexander Ovechkin
Awarded=National Hockey League's outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players AssociationThe Lester B. Pearson Award is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association. The Lester B. Pearson Award has been awarded 37 times to 22 different players since its beginnings in 1971. It is a companion to the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the League's Most Valuable Player.

History

The award was first handed out at the conclusion of the 1971-72 NHL season. It is named in honour of Lester B. Pearson who was Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968, was a winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize and a former player and coach of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team.cite web|url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/silver_splashlesterbpearson.htm|title=Lester B. Pearson Award history|accessdate=2007-08-17|publisher=Legendsofhockey.net] The voting for the trophy is conducted at the end of the regular season by the members of the NHL Players Association.

Wayne Gretzky won the award five times during his career. Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins have won the award the most number of times, with seven winners, followed by the Edmonton Oilers, with six winners. The Pearson Award is considered to be the companion of the Hart Memorial Trophy, thirteen players have won both trophies for the same season: Guy Lafleur (1976–77 and 1977–78), Wayne Gretzky (1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1986–87), Mario Lemieux (1987–88 and 1992–93 and 1995–96), Mark Messier (1989–90 and 1991–92), Brett Hull (1990–91), Sergei Fedorov (1993–94), Eric Lindros (1994–95), Dominik Hasek (1996–97 and 1997–98), Jaromir Jagr (1998–99), Joe Sakic (2000–01), Martin St. Louis (2003–04), Sidney Crosby (2006–07) and Alexander Ovechkin (2007–08).cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/trophies/hart.html|title=Hart Memorial Trophy history|accessdate=2007-08-18|publisher=NHL.com] Of those thirteen, only Lafleur, Gretzky, Lemieux, Jagr, St. Louis, Crosby, and Ovechkin have also won the Art Ross Trophy for the same season and completed a Hart-Pearson-Art Ross sweep.cite web|url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=206237&hubname=|title=NHL releases list of trophy finalists|accessdate=2007-08-18|publisher=Canadian Press]

Winners

{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;
-!style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Season!style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Winner!style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Team!style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Position!style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Win #
-
1970–71
sort|Esposito|Phil Esposito
Boston Bruins
C
1
-
1971–72
sort|Ratelle|Jean Ratelle
New York Rangers
C
1
-
1972–73
sort|Esposito|Phil Esposito
Boston Bruins
C
2
-
1973–74
sort|Clarke|Bobby Clarke
Philadelphia Flyers
C
1
-
1974–75
sort|Orr|Bobby Orr
Boston Bruins
D
1
-
1975–76
sort|Lafleur|Guy Lafleur
Montreal Canadiens
RW
1
-
1976–77
sort|Lafleur|Guy Lafleur
Montreal Canadiens
RW
2
-
1977–78
sort|Lafleur|Guy Lafleur
Montreal Canadiens
RW
3
-
1978–79
sort|Dionne|Marcel Dionne
Los Angeles Kings
C
1
-
1979–80
sort|Dionne|Marcel Dionne
Los Angeles Kings
C
2
-
1980–81
sort|Liut|Mike Liut
St. Louis Blues
G
1
-
1981–82
sort|Gretzky, Wayne|Wayne Gretzky
Edmonton Oilers
C
1
-
1982–83
sort|Gretzky, Wayne|Wayne Gretzky
Edmonton Oilers
C
2
-
1983–84
sort|Gretzky, Wayne|Wayne Gretzky
Edmonton Oilers
C
3
-
1984–85
sort|Gretzky, Wayne|Wayne Gretzky
Edmonton Oilers
C
4
-
1985–86
sort|Lemieux|Mario Lemieux
Pittsburgh Penguins
C
1
-
1986–87
sort|Gretzky, Wayne|Wayne Gretzky
Edmonton Oilers
C
5
-
1987–88
sort|Lemieux|Mario Lemieux
Pittsburgh Penguins
C
2
-
1988–89
sort|Yzerman|Steve Yzerman
Detroit Red Wings
C
1
-
1989–90
sort|Messier|Mark Messier
Edmonton Oilers
C
1
-
1990–91
sort|Hull|Brett Hull
St. Louis Blues
RW
1
-
1991–92
sort|Messier|Mark Messier
New York Rangers
C
2
-
1992–93
sort|Lemieux|Mario Lemieux
Pittsburgh Penguins
C
3
- bgcolor="#CFECEC"
1993–94
sort|Federov|Sergei Fedorov
Detroit Red Wings
C
1
-
1994–95
sort|Lindros|Eric Lindros
Philadelphia Flyers
C
1
-
1995–96
sort|Lemieux|Mario Lemieux
Pittsburgh Penguins
C
4
-
1996–97
sort|Hasek|Dominik Hasek
Buffalo Sabres
G
1
-
1997–98
sort|Hasek|Dominik Hasek
Buffalo Sabres
G
2
-
1998–99
sort|Jagr|Jaromir Jagr
Pittsburgh Penguins
RW
1
-
1999–2000
sort|Jagr|Jaromir Jagr
Pittsburgh Penguins
RW
2
- bgcolor="#CFECEC"
2000–01
sort|Sakic|Joe Sakic
Colorado Avalanche
C
1
- bgcolor="#CFECEC"
2001–02
sort|Iginla|Jarome Iginla
Calgary Flames
RW
1
- bgcolor="#CFECEC"
2002–03
sort|Naslund|Markus Naslund
Vancouver Canucks
LW
1
- bgcolor="#CFECEC"
2003–04
sort|St. Louis|Martin St. Louis
Tampa Bay Lightning
RW
1
-
2004–05
small|"2004-05 NHL lockout
No winner "
-
-
-
-
2005–06
sort|Jagr|Jaromir Jagr
New York Rangers
RW
3
- bgcolor="#CFECEC"
2006–07
sort|Crosby|Sidney Crosby
Pittsburgh Penguins
C
1
- bgcolor="#CFECED"
2007–08
sort|Ovechkin|Alexander Ovechkin
Washington Capitals
LW
1

References

;General
* [http://www.nhl.com/trophies/pearson.html Lester B. Pearson Award history] at NHL.com
* [http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/silver_splashlesterbpearson.htm Lester B. Pearson Award history] at Legends of Hockey.net;Specific

ee also

*List of NHL players
*List of NHL statistical leaders