Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy

The Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy was added to the NHL’s awards for individual excellence in 1999. It is awarded each year to the league’s top goal scorer during the regular season. The trophy honours former Montreal Canadiens superstar Maurice “Rocket” Richard, who was the first player to score 50 goals in a season and the first to reach the 500-goal plateau. The tribute to Richard was a gift from the Montreal Canadiens and was first proposed by team president Ronald Corey. The award’s first recipient was Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Alex Ovechkin has won the award nine times — more than any other player.

Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy Winners

Year	Player	Team	Goals
1999	Teemu Selanne	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	47
2000	Pavel Bure	Florida Panthers	58
2001	Pavel Bure	Florida Panthers	59
2002	Jarome Iginla	Calgary Flames	52
2003	Milan Hejduk	Colorado Avalanche	50
2004	(tie) Jarome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk, Rick Nash	Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets	41
2005	strike-cancelled season	N/A	N/A
2006	Jonathan Cheechoo	San Jose Sharks	56
2007	Vincent Lacavalier	Tampa Bay Lightning	52
2008	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	65
2009	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	56
2010	(tie) Steve Stamkos, Sidney Crosby	Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins	51
2011	Corey Perry	Anaheim Ducks	50
2012	Steve Stamkos	Tampa Bay Lightning	60
2013	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	32
2014	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	51
2015	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	53
2016	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	50
2017	Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins	44
2018	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	49
2019	Alex Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	51
2020	(tie) Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak	Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins	48
2021	Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	41
2022	Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	60
2023	Connor McDavid	Edmonton Oilers	64
2024	Auston Matthews	Toronto Maple Leafs	69