Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) player “adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” The trophy was donated to the NHL in 1925 by Lady Evelyn Byng, wife of Governor General Byng. It was known as the Lady Byng Trophy until her death in 1949, when it was renamed the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The winner is chosen through a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of the regular season and is awarded after the Stanley Cup playoffs. Notable winners include Frank Boucher, Wayne Gretzky, Red Kelly, Pavel Datsyuk, Mike Bossy, Ron Francis and Martin St. Louis.

Lady Byng
Lady Byng, née Marie Evelyn Moreton. Painting by Philip de László
(courtesy Bonhams/Wikimedia CC)

History of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

The trophy was donated in 1925 by Lady Evelyn Byng, wife of Governor General Byng. Both she and her husband loved sports and became hockey fans after moving to Ottawa, where they attended Senators games. She decided to donate a trophy that would promote sportsmanship and gentlemanly play, qualities she greatly admired.

In March 1925, Lady Byng wrote to Frank Calder, president of the NHL, offering to present an annual “challenge cup” for the “cleanest and most effective player in the league.” It was only the second individual award in the league, after the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player (first awarded in 1924).

“Lady Byng Gives Cup to Elevate the Game In the Pro. League”

Desiring to raise the standard of professional hockey, Lady Byng of Vimy proposes to present a challenge cup to be held each year by the cleanest and most effective player in the league.

In a letter to Frank Calder the wife of the Governor-General says:

“Feeling a great desire to help your effort to ‘clean hockey’ and eliminate the needless rough play that at present is a threat to the game, and also to leave a tangible record of the enjoyment I personally have had from the game during our sojourn in Canada, I am writing to ask if you will let me offer a challenge cup for the man on any team in the league who, while being thoroughly effective, is also a thoroughly clean player.

“I am convinced that the public desires good sport, not the injuring of players, and if by donating this challenge cup I can in any way help towards this end it will give me a great deal of pleasure.

“(Signed) Evelyn Byng of Vimy.”

It is understood that the cup will be for annual competition among the players. The same jury of sports editors which selects the winner of the Hart Trophy will decide which player deserves the cup.

(The Globe, 9 March 1925)

Lady Byng Trophy: Early Winners

Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators won the trophy in both 1925 and 1926, while Billy Burch of the New York Americans received it in 1927. The following year, Frank Boucher of the New York Rangers won his first Lady Byng Trophy. In 1935, after Boucher had won the trophy seven times, he was given it to keep, and Lady Byng donated another trophy to the league. According to an article in the Globe that year, Boucher “announced he will not allow himself to be considered eligible for the trophy in the future, so that others may have a chance at the award.” (The original trophy was destroyed in a fire at Boucher’s home in 1962.)

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

After Lady Byng died in 1949, the NHL presented a new trophy and renamed it the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. Wayne Gretzky has won the trophy five times, second only to Boucher. Red Kelly and Pavel Datsyuk won four times each, followed by three-time winners Bobby Bauer, Alex Delvecchio, Mike Bossy, Ron Francis and Martin St. Louis.

Winners of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Année	Joueur	Équipe
1925	Frank Nighbor	Ottawa Senators
1926	Frank Nighbor	Ottawa Senators
1927	Harry Wilfred « Billy » Burch	New York Americans
1928	Frank Boucher	New York Rangers
1929	Frank Boucher	New York Rangers
1930	Frank Boucher	New York Rangers
1931	Frank Boucher	New York Rangers
1932	Joe Primeau	Toronto Maple Leafs
1933	Frank Boucher	New York Rangers
1934	Frank Boucher	New York Rangers
1935	Frank Boucher	New York Rangers
1936	Elwin Nelson « Doc » Romnes	Chicago Black Hawks
1937	Marty Barry	Detroit Red Wings
1938	Gordie Drillon	Toronto Maple Leafs
1939	Clint Smith	New York Rangers
1940	Bobby Bauer	Boston Bruins
1941	Bobby Bauer	Boston Bruins
1942	Syl Apps	Toronto Maple Leaf
1943	Max Bentley	Chicago Black Hawks
1944	Clint Smith	Chicago Black Hawks
1945	Bill Mosienko	Chicago Black Hawks
1946	Joseph Hector « Toe » Blake	Montreal Canadiens
1947	Bobby Bauer	Boston Bruins
1948	Herbert William « Buddy » O’Connor	New York Rangers
1949	Hubert George « Bill » Quackenbush	Detroit Red Wings
1950	Edgar Laprade	New York Rangers
1951	Leonard Patrick « Red » Kelly	Detroit Red Wings
1952	Sid Smith	Toronto Maple Leafs
1953	Leonard Patrick « Red » Kelly	Detroit Red Wings
1954	Leonard Patrick « Red » Kelly	Detroit Red Wings
1955	Sidney James « Sid » Smith	Toronto Maple Leafs
1956	Earl « Dutch » Reibel	Detroit Red Wings
1957	Andy Hebenton	New York Rangers
1958	Camille Henry	New York Rangers
1959	Alex Delvecchio	Detroit Red Wings
1960	Don McKenney	Boston Bruins
1961	Leonard Patrick « Red » Kelly	Toronto Maple Leafs
1962	Dave Keon	Toronto Maple Leafs
1963	Dave Keon	Toronto Maple Leafs
1964	Ken Wharram	Chicago Black Hawks
1965	Bobby Hull	Chicago Black Hawks
1966	Alex Delvecchio	Detroit Red Wings
1967	Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks
1968	Stan Mikita	Chicago Black Hawks
1969	Alex Delvecchio	Detroit Red Wings
1970	Phil Goyette	St. Louis Blues
1971	John Bucyk	Boston Bruins
1972	Jean Ratelle	New York Rangers
1973	Gilbert Perreault	Buffalo Sabres
1974	John Bucyk	Boston Bruins
1975	Marcel Dionne	Detroit Red Wing
1976	Jean Ratelle	New York Rangers / Boston Bruins
1977	Marcel Dionne	Los Angeles Kings
1978	Robert Thomas « Butch » Goring	Los Angeles Kings
1979	Bob MacMillan	Atlanta Flames
1980	Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers
1981	Rick Kehoe	Pittsburgh Penguins
1982	Rick Middleton	Boston Bruins
1983	Mike Bossy	New York Islanders
1984	Mike Bossy	New York Islanders
1985	Jari Kurri	Edmonton Oilers
1986	Mike Bossy	New York Islanders
1987	Joe Mullen	Calgary Flames
1988	Mats Naslund	Montreal Canadiens
1989	Joe Mullen	Calgary Flames
1990	Brett Hull	St. Louis Blues
1991	Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings
1992	Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings
1993	Pierre Turgeon	New York Islanders
1994	Wayne Gretzky	Los Angeles Kings
1995	Ron Francis	Pittsburgh Penguins
1996	Paul Kariya	Anaheim Mighty Ducks
1997	Paul Kariya	Anaheim Mighty Ducks
1998	Ron Francis	Pittsburgh Penguins
1999	Wayne Gretzky	New York Rangers
2000	Pavol Demitra	St. Louis Blues
2001	Joe Sakic	Colorado Avalanche
2002	Ron Francis	Carolina Hurricanes
2003	Alexander Mogilny	Toronto Maple Leafs
2004	Brad Richards	Tampa Bay Lightning
2005	Saison annulée en raison du lock‑out
2006	Pavel Datsyuk	Detroit Red Wings
2007	Pavel Datsyuk	Detroit Red Wings
2008	Pavel Datsyuk	Detroit Red Wings
2009	Pavel Datsyuk	Detroit Red Wings
2010	Martin St. Louis	Tampa Bay Lightning
2011	Martin St. Louis	Tampa Bay Lightning
2012	Brian Campbell	Florida Panthers
2013	Martin St. Louis	Tampa Bay Lightning
2014	Ryan O’Reilly	Colorado Avalanche
2015	Jiri Hudler	Calgary Flames
2016	Anze Kopitar	Los Angeles Kings
2017	Johnny Gaudreau	Calgary Flames
2018	William Karlsson	Vega Golden Knights
2019	Aleksander Barkov	Florida Panthers
2020	Nathan MacKinnon	Avalanche du Colorado
2021	Jaccob Slavin	Carolina Hurricanes
2022	Kyle Connor	Winnipeg Jets
2023	Anze Kopitar	Los Angeles Kings
2024	Jaccob Slavin	Carolina Hurricanes
2025	Anze Kopitar	Los Angeles Kings