MacKinnon Among Best Players to Never Win Hart Trophy

Hart-Break: These Legends Never Won MVP Honors

Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman was synonymous with the Detroit Red Wings franchise for over 20 years. He tallied nearly 700 goals (692) and is just one of eight players to score over 1,700 points. Unfortunately, his best years were shared by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

The closest he got to the Hart Trophy was a third-placed finish in 1988-89 where he recorded a career-high 155 points. He was given the Ted Lindsay Award as the best player as voted by his peers.

On this day in 1989, Steve Yzerman became the fourth NHL player to reach 100 points in 50 games or less as he scored a goal and had two assists in a Red Wings 8-1 win over the Maple Leafs. pic.twitter.com/F7PhF8Fcyk

— Inside The Rink (@inside_the_rink) January 27, 2024

Mike Bossy

When it comes to pure goal-scorers, few can match Mike Bossy’s feats. He scored 573 goals in just 752 games. His 0.76 goals per game (minimum 200 goals) still ranks first in the NHL today. Even crazier is how he scored 51 goals in a 56-game playoff span. As the unstoppable goal-scorer of his team, he led the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

His career was cut short by injuries. But given his uncanny scoring talents, we would have liked his NHL odds to have challenged Gretzky for the goals record in the NHL.

Marcel Dionne

Like Yzerman, Marcel Dionne was an unfettered scorer who could not win the Hart Trophy because he played in the Gretzky era. He did finish in the top three in a three-season span and even tied “The Great One” in points. However, he just missed out as the NHL pick to win by a few votes.

Still, he finished his career ranked in the top 10 in scoring while winning several other notable awards.

Ray Bourque

When we speak of unbreakable records, how about Ray Bourque’s 1,579 points for a defenseman? The longtime Boston Bruin set several NHL records and won the Norris Trophy five times before retiring as a Stanley Cup champion with Colorado. But despite averaging over a point per game during most of his peak, the closest he came to winning the Hart was a second-placed finish in 1989-90.

Nicklas Lidstrom

Bourque was the model of excellence for defensemen during the ’80s and ’90s. And after he retired, Lidstrom picked up that mantle. His seven Norris Trophy victories are No. 2 all-time and his 1,142 points are sixth among defensemen. He was almost a sure bet online to capture the trophy during the mid-2000s.

But despite also leading the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups, Lidstrom fell short in the MVP considerations.

Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy

Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy, along with Dominik Hasek, formed the “Holy Trinity” of goaltenders back in their heyday. But while Hasek won the Hart Trophy twice, neither Brodeur nor Roy captured it. The NHL lines would have had either at short odds to win given their dominance.

The closest Brodeur got was finishing third a few times during the mid-2000s while Roy finished as a runner-up in 1991-92. Together, these legendary goalies combined for seven Vezina Trophies and seven Stanley Cups. They also have the two most all-time wins by a goaltender in the playoffs.

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