Nikita Kucherov was surprised with the Hart Trophy at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s practice facility, receiving the NHL’s most valuable player award in an elaborate reveal organized by the Hockey Hall of Fame and team officials. Phil Pritchard, known as the Keeper of the Cup, took the trophy from its case in Toronto and traveled to Tampa before delivering it by a trolley, jet ski and convertible. Kucherov accepted the honor with gratitude, thanking his teammates, coaches and family.
The award recognizes the player judged most valuable to his team by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Kucherov won the Hart Trophy for the second time, adding to a decorated career that already includes two Ted Lindsay Awards, three Art Ross Trophies and two Stanley Cup championships. The 32-year-old right wing finished second in the NHL this season with 130 points in 76 games, including 44 goals and 86 assists. He led the league with a 1.71 points-per-game average and posted a plus-43 rating, tying for third among all players. He recorded at least one point in 60 games, had 40 multi-point outings, nine four-point games and two five-point performances.
Kucherov outpolled Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid by 10 points and finished ahead of Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who placed third. McDavid had been named the winner of the Ted Lindsay Award, which is voted on by NHL players and honors the league’s most outstanding player. Kucherov was also a finalist for that award this season.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper joined the surprise celebration after being announced as the winner of the Jack Adams Award, given to the NHL’s top coach, while goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy earned the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie. Cooper praised Kucherov’s constant drive to improve and said the winger’s competitiveness helps elevate the team without putting personal goals ahead of collective success.
Since being selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2011 NHL Draft, Kucherov has become one of the franchise’s all-time greats. He has compiled 1,124 points in 879 regular-season games and 177 points in 159 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. In the postseason, he helped lead the Lightning to Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021, finishing as the NHL’s leading scorer in both championship runs.
