Kucherov Wins Second Hart Trophy on 130-Point Season — Nhl Mvp
Nikita Kucherov won his second nhl mvp award when the Hart Memorial Trophy was brought to the Tampa Bay Lightning's practice facility and placed before him in the dark room. The surprise capped a 130-point season and pushed him past Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon in the voting.
Phil Pritchard Brings The Trophy
Phil Pritchard took the Hart Trophy out of its case at the Hockey Hall of Fame, drove from Toronto to Tampa and then switched to a trolley, a jet ski and a convertible to reach the Lightning's practice facility. The trophy was set on a table before Kucherov walked in, with Jon Cooper on hand for the surprise.
Kucherov took the moment in quietly. “Thanks for this honor. Just really grateful for my teammates, coaches, my family,” he said. “This means a lot.”
130 Points In 76 Games
He finished second in the NHL with 130 points in 76 games, posting 44 goals and 86 assists. He also led the league with a 1.71 points-per-game average, finished with a plus-43 rating, and had at least one point in 60 of 76 games.
The scoring was spread across big nights. Kucherov had 40 games with at least two points, nine games with at least four points and two five-point games. He edged McDavid by 10 points, with MacKinnon third in Hart voting.
Lightning Hardware Keeps Building
The award adds to a run that already includes two Ted Lindsay Awards, three Art Ross Trophies and two Stanley Cups. Tampa Bay selected him in the second round, No. 58, of the 2011 NHL Draft, and he now has 1,124 points in 879 regular-season games plus 177 points in 159 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 and led all postseason point-scorers in both years. Cooper, who was previously announced as the winner of the Jack Adams Award, said, “One of the great things that makes 'Kuch' Kuch is he's never satisfied,” and added, “I think really that's the growth of Kuch, he doesn't put that above the team.”
McDavid won the Ted Lindsay Award on Sunday, while Andrei Vasilevskiy was previously announced as the winner of the Vezina Trophy. Kucherov’s second Hart Trophy leaves Tampa Bay with another individual award tied directly to a season built on production, durability and repeated postseason output.
