How many NHL teams have had a player win the Norris Trophy?

Awarded to the NHL’s best defenseman each year, the history of the James Norris Memorial Trophy stretches back to the 1953-54 NHL season.

As the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is well underway, the only remaining order of business for this NHL season is the regular season awards, which are announced in a ceremony following the Stanley Cup Final in late June.

Though votes have already been cast and playoff performance does not factor in, fans, media members and players alike are anticipating the announcement of this year’s winners, with the end-of-season awards serving as important benchmarks and resume boosters for many in the league.

After previously diving into some of the history behind the NHL’s awards for Most Valuable Player (Hart Memorial Trophy) and best goaltender (Vezina Trophy), I wanted to take a deeper look into the background of another one of the league’s most coveted awards – the James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Initially awarded in the Original Six era back in the 1953-54 NHL season, the trophy is awarded each year to the league’s “top defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”

This definition has led to some splits among the members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association who vote on the award, with differences of opinion typically arising when a defenseman with a great offensive season contends for the Norris.

Many of the league’s greatest defensemen of all-time have won the award at least once, with Hall of Famers such as Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, Ray Bourque and Nicklas Lidstrom winning the award several times each.

With the long-term dominance of a handful of defensemen who routinely won the award, there hasn’t been a ton of opportunity to spread the wealth when it comes to Norris Trophy wins.

As of the 2025-26 NHL season, 20 of the NHL’s 32 teams have had a player win the Norris Trophy at least once in their team history, while 12 clubs are still awaiting their first winner. Most notably, the Original Six Toronto Maple Leafs, who began NHL play at the league’s inception in 1917-18, have never had a player win the award.

Including the Maple Leafs, here’s a look at the NHL teams that remain without a Norris Trophy win:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Buffalo Sabres
3. Florida Panthers
4. Carolina Hurricanes
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Dallas Stars
7. Minnesota Wild
8. Utah Mammoth
9. Winnipeg Jets
10. Seattle Kraken
11. Anaheim Ducks
12. Vegas Golden Knights

Beginning with the most recent occurrences, here’s the last time every other NHL team has had a player win the award:

1. Columbus Blue Jackets: 2025-26, Zach Werenski
2. Colorado Avalanche: 2024-25, Cale Makar
3. Vancouver Canucks: 2023-24, Quinn Hughes
4. San Jose Sharks: 2022-23, Erik Karlsson
5. New York Rangers: 2020-21, Adam Fox
6. Nashville Predators: 2019-20, Roman Josi
7. Calgary Flames: 2018-19, Mark Giordano
8. Tampa Bay Lightning: 2017-18, Victor Hedman
9. Los Angeles Kings: 2015-16, Drew Doughty
10. Ottawa Senators: 2014-15, Erik Karlsson
11. Chicago Blackhawks: 2013-14, Duncan Keith
12. Montreal Canadiens: 2012-13, P.K. Subban
13. Detroit Red Wings: 2010-11, Nicklas Lidstrom
14. Boston Bruins: 2008-09, Zdeno Chara
15. New Jersey Devils: 2003-04, Scott Niedermayer
16. St. Louis Blues: 1999-00, Chris Pronger
17. Edmonton Oilers: 1985-86, Paul Coffey
18. Washington Capitals: 1983-84, Rod Langway
19. Pittsburgh Penguins: 1980-81, Randy Carlyle
20. New York Islanders: 1978-79, Denis Potvin