Often awarded to the league’s most disciplined stars, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is a revered resume booster for NHL’s top players.
The second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is off to a feverish start, punctuated by an incredible 9-6 Colorado Avalanche victory over the rival Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their series.
With fans and players alike zoned in on the playoffs, thinking of the awards ceremony coming up in late June feels like a world away – especially for those that still have a dog in the race with eight teams remaining in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.
For several stars who have lifted Lord Stanley’s Cup in the past, the championship has simply been one component of success – with the league’s Lady Byng Memorial Trophy looking to honor those that go the extra mile on a different component.
First awarded after the 1924-25 season, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” The award’s name originates from the first trophy being donated to the league by Lady Byng of Vimy, who was then the viceregal consort of Canada.
Voted on each year by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, the award has long been awarded to a top star who has posted lofty offensive numbers in addition to very few Penalties in Minutes, or PIM.
Although the award is typically issued to a high-scoring forward, several defensemen have won the award as well – with more emphasis placed on their prowess as a defensive player and ability to avoid penalties as opposed to the well-disciplined star forward that typically wins the award. Though they are technically eligible, no goaltender has ever won the trophy.
After winning seven of the first 11 iterations of the award, 1920’s and ’30s New York Rangers legend Frank Boucher remains the all-time leader for most wins of the award, with the five wins from Wayne Gretzky placing him second among all-time winners.
Heading into the 2026 NHL Awards, 12 of the league’s 32 teams have never had a player win the award – speaking to the multi-year dominance of players like Gretzky and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings.
Here are the teams that have yet to have a player win the Lady Byng:
- Ottawa Senators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Washington Capitals
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- New Jersey Devils
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- Utah Mammoth
- Nashville Predators
- San Jose Sharks
- Seattle Kraken
- Vancouver Canucks
For the other 20 clubs in the league, here’s a look at the last time each team had a player win the award, beginning with the most recent occurrences:
- Los Angeles Kings: 2024-25, Anze Kopitar
- Carolina Hurricanes: 2023-24, Jaccob Slavin
- Winnipeg Jets: 2021-22, Kyle Connor
- Colorado Avalanche: 2019-20, Nathan MacKinnon
- Florida Panthers: 2018-19, Aleksander Barkov
- Vegas Golden Knights: 2017-18, William Karlsson
- Calgary Flames: 2016-17, Johnny Gaudreau
- Tampa Bay Lightning: 2012-13, Martin St. Louis
- Detroit Red Wings: 2008-09, Pavel Datsyuk
- Toronto Maple Leafs: 2002-03, Alexander Mogilny
- St. Louis Blues: 1999-00, Pavol Demitra
- New York Rangers: 1998-99, Wayne Gretzky
- Pittsburgh Penguins: 1997-98, Ron Francis
- Anaheim Ducks: 1996-97, Paul Kariya
- New York Islanders: 1992-93, Pierre Turgeon
- Montreal Canadiens: 1987-88, Mats Naslund
- Edmonton Oilers: 1984-85, Jari Kurri
- Boston Bruins: 1981-82, Rick Middleton
- Buffalo Sabres: 1972-73, Gilbert Perreault
- Chicago Blackhawks: 1967-68, Stan Mikita

Leave a Reply