The Ted Lindsay Award Deserves to Be the NHL's Real MVP Trophy, and Here's Why

Forget everything you think you know about hockey's biggest individual honor. The Hart Trophy has owned the MVP crown since 1924, but it's time for a serious conversation: the Ted Lindsay Award should be the one we're talking about when we crown the league's most valuable player.

This isn't about throwing out the Hart. Both trophies can exist. In fact, 23 players have won both in the same season, like Nathan MacKinnon did in 2024. But the psychology of these awards needs a reset, and the numbers back it up.

It's All About the Definition

Here's where it gets interesting. The Hart goes to the player "judged to be the most valuable to his team." Not the best player. Not the most outstanding. The most valuable. The Ted Lindsay Award? That goes to the "most outstanding player," period.

Sometimes those mean the same thing. Connor McDavid is clearly both the best player in the league and the most valuable to the Oilers. Easy call either way. But other seasons? The definitions split wide open. Take Taylor Hall in 2017-18. Some people wouldn't call him the best player in the NHL that year, but many would argue he single-handedly carried the New Jersey Devils into the postseason. He won the Hart for being most valuable to his team. That's the Hart's actual job description, and it works, but the Ted Lindsay's definition is cleaner and sharper.

Who's Voting Matters

The Hart is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, along with broadcasters mixed in on some awards. Nothing wrong with that system, right? Except here's the thing: the Ted Lindsay Award is voted on by the NHL Players' Association.

Media members watch more total minutes than any individual player ever will. True. But nobody bears witness to excellence on the ice like the people actually out there playing the game. They feel it. They see it up close. Do you really think an award means more when it comes from outsiders or from your peers? The players know who the best player is because they're competing against them every single night.

The Tradition Problem

The Hart's biggest weapon is simple: it's been around since 1924. Over 100 years of history. That's a lot of inertia to overcome. The Ted Lindsay didn't arrive until 1971, nearly 50 years later. Reframing over a century of tradition isn't easy, and that's probably a huge reason why the Hart still wears the crown.

Plus, let's be real: the Hart Trophy looks cooler. It's basically an oversized Olympic torch and looks way more grandiose. The Ted Lindsay has a Hockey Hall of Famer's face on it, which is awesome, but it doesn't have quite the same visual punch.

So here's the bottom line: the Ted Lindsay Award has better definitions, better voters, and better logic behind it. The Hart has time and tradition. Maybe it's time Seattle fans and hockey purists everywhere start thinking about which one actually deserves the crown.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.