The Frank J. Selke Trophy, or simply the Selke Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association following the regular season. Named after Frank J. Selke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, the trophy has been awarded 46 times to 28 different players since the 1977–78 NHL season. It is currently held by Montreal Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki.
History The trophy was first awarded at the end of the 1977–78 NHL season. It was named after Frank J. Selke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. The Selke Trophy was the fifth and last of the major NHL awards to be introduced that have been named after General Managers and owners of the Original Six teams, the other awards being the Art Ross Trophy, James Norris Memorial Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy, and Jack Adams Award.
The first recipient was Bob Gainey of the Canadiens, who won the trophy the first four years it was given. Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins has won it more times than any other player, with six wins. Guy Carbonneau, Jere Lehtinen, Pavel Datsyuk and Aleksander Barkov are tied for the third-most wins, with three apiece.
The Montreal Canadiens have won the trophy the most times, with 8 awards. The team with the greatest number of unique winners are the Red Wings with 4—Sergei Fedorov (twice), Steve Yzerman, Kris Draper, and Datsyuk (three times)—all coming since 1994.
There has been only one instance in which a Selke Trophy winner was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player when Sergei Fedorov captured both trophies during the 1993–94 NHL season. There has not been an instance in which the Art Ross Trophy winner has been awarded the Selke Trophy, though Fedorov finished second in regular season scoring in 1994, while Hart Trophy winner and Art Ross Trophy runner-up Joe Sakic finished second in Selke voting in 2001. The most points scored in a Selke-winning season is 127 by Doug Gilmour in the 1992–93 NHL season.
Winners
+Positions key C Centre RW Right wing LW Left wing
SeasonWinnerTeamPositionWin # * Montreal Canadiens LW 1 * Montreal Canadiens LW 2 * Montreal Canadiens LW 3 * Montreal Canadiens LW 4 Boston Bruins C 1 * Philadelphia Flyers C 1 Washington Capitals C 1 Buffalo Sabres LW 1 Chicago Blackhawks C 1 Philadelphia Flyers C 1 * Montreal Canadiens C 1 * Montreal Canadiens C 2 St. Louis Blues C 1 Chicago Blackhawks RW 1 * Montreal Canadiens C 3 * Toronto Maple Leafs C 1 * Detroit Red Wings C 1 * Pittsburgh Penguins C 1 * Detroit Red Wings C 2 Buffalo Sabres C 1 Dallas Stars RW 1 Dallas Stars RW 2 * Detroit Red Wings C 1 New Jersey Devils C 1 New York Islanders C 2 Dallas Stars RW 3 Detroit Red Wings C 1 Season cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout Carolina Hurricanes C 1 Carolina Hurricanes C 2 * Detroit Red Wings C 1 * Detroit Red Wings C 2 * Detroit Red Wings C 3 Vancouver Canucks C 1 * Boston Bruins C 1 ~ Chicago Blackhawks C 1 * Boston Bruins C 2 * Boston Bruins C 3 ~ Los Angeles Kings C 1 * Boston Bruins C 4 ~ Los Angeles Kings C 2 ^ St. Louis Blues C 1 ^ Philadelphia Flyers C 1 ^ Florida Panthers C 1 * Boston Bruins C 5 * Boston Bruins C 6 ^ Florida Panthers C 2 ^ Florida Panthers C 3 ^ Montreal Canadiens C 1
See also List of National Hockey League awards List of NHL players List of NHL statistical leaders Two-way forward
References
External links Frank J. Selke Trophy at NHL.com Frank J. Selke Trophy history at Legends of Hockey.net