Calder Trophy History
In 1933, Carl Voss was named top rookie in the NHL, becoming the first player to receive that honour. However, there was no trophy for rookies until the 1936–37 season, when NHL president Frank Calder presented one to Syl Apps.
“Syl Apps Voted Season’s Outstanding Rookie”
Syl Apps of Toronto Maple Leafs, ready for his first taste of playoff fire, became officially the best rookie of the National Hockey League season last night with announcement by the Canadian Press that the Paris, Ont., boy headed its annual poll of hockey writers in N.H.L. cities.
Apps, 21-year-old centre and former Olympic pole vaulter, will be the first holder of the Calder trophy, an award offered by President Frank Calder of the N.H.L. for the best newcomer of each season. Selection of the Toronto sensation was almost unanimous.
Outstanding star of Hamilton’s senior amateur team a year ago, Apps was signed by Manager Conny Smythe of the Leafs after the big McMaster University graduate returned from Berlin where he tied for sixth place in the Olympic games pole vault last summer. In his first professional hockey season he was the league’s second highest point-maker.
(The Globe and Mail, 23 March 1937, p. 19)
Between 1937 and 1943, Calder purchased a trophy each year to be given to the top rookie. After his death in February 1943, the award was renamed the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, a player cannot have previously played more than 25 regular season games in any preceding season in a major professional league. They also cannot have played in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons. These eligibility rules affected the awarding of the trophy for the 1979–80 season, when Wayne Gretzky would have seemed an obvious choice for the Calder Memorial Trophy. In his rookie season in the NHL, Gretzky scored 137 points and tied Marcel Dionne as points leader. This far surpassed the previous rookie record of 95 points, set by Calder winner Bryan Trottier in 1975–76. However, Gretzky was not eligible for the award, because he had played a full season in the World Hockey Association in 1978–79. Instead, Ray Bourque received the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1980, even though he had scored only 65 points that season.
Age also affects eligibility. Players must be no more than 26 years old by 15 September of their rookie season to be eligible for the trophy. This rule came into effect in the 1990–91 season. The previous year, Sergei Makarov of the Calgary Flames won the trophy at 31 years of age. He is the oldest player ever to win the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Calder Memorial Trophy Winners
Year | Player | Team |
1933 | Carl Voss | Detroit Red Wings |
1934 | Russ Blinco | Montreal Maroons |
1935 | David “Sweeney” Schriner | New York Americans |
1936 | Mike Karakas | Chicago Blackhawks |
1937 | Syl Apps | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1938 | Carl “Cully” Dahlstrom | Chicago Black Hawks |
1939 | Frank Brimsek | Boston Bruins |
1940 | James “Kilby” MacDonald | New York Rangers |
1941 | Johnny Quilty | Montreal Canadiens |
1942 | Grant Warwick | New York Rangers |
1943 | Gaye Stewart | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1944 | Gus Bodnar | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1945 | Frank McCool | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1946 | Edgar Laprade | New York Rangers |
1947 | Howie Meeker | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1948 | Jim McFadden | Detroit Red Wings |
1949 | Pentti Lund | New York Rangers |
1950 | Jack Gelineau | Boston Bruins |
1951 | Terry Sawchuk | Detroit Red Wings |
1952 | Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion | Montreal Canadiens |
1953 | Lorne “Gump” Worsley | New York Rangers |
1954 | Camille Henry | New York Rangers |
1955 | Ed Litzenberger | Chicago Black Hawks |
1956 | Glenn Hall | Detroit Red Wings |
1957 | Larry Regan | Boston Bruins |
1958 | Frank Mahovlich | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1959 | Ralph Backstrom | Montreal Canadiens |
1960 | Bill Hay | Chicago Black Hawks |
1961 | Dave Keon | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1962 | Bobby Rousseau | Montreal Canadiens |
1963 | Kent Douglas | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1964 | Jacques Laperriere | Montreal Canadiens |
1965 | Roger Crozier | Detroit Red Wings |
1966 | Brit Selby | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1967 | Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins |
1968 | Derek Sanderson | Boston Bruins |
1969 | Danny Grant | Minnesota North Stars |
1970 | Tony Esposito | Chicago Black Hawks |
1971 | Gilbert Perreault | Buffalo Sabres |
1972 | Ken Dryden | Montreal Canadiens |
1973 | Steve Vickers | New York Rangers |
1974 | Denis Potvin | New York Islanders |
1975 | Eric Vail | Atlanta Flames |
1976 | Bryan Trottier | New York Islanders |
1977 | Willi Plett | Atlanta Flames |
1978 | Mike Bossy | New York Islanders |
1979 | Bobby Smith | Minnesota North Stars |
1980 | Ray Bourque | Boston Bruins |
1981 | Peter Stastny | Quebec Nordiques |
1982 | Dale Hawerchuk | Winnipeg Jets |
1983 | Steve Larmer | Chicago Black Hawks |
1984 | Tom Barrasso | Buffalo Sabres |
1985 | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins |
1986 | Gary Suter | Calgary Flames |
1987 | Luc Robitaille | Los Angeles Kings |
1988 | Joe Nieuwendyk | Calgary Flames |
1989 | Brian Leetch | New York Rangers |
1990 | Sergei Makarov | Calgary Flames |
1991 | Ed Belfour | Chicago Blackhawks |
1992 | Pavel Bure | Vancouver Canucks |
1993 | Teemu Selanne | Winnipeg Jets |
1994 | Martin Brodeur | New Jersey Devils |
1995 | Peter Forsberg | Quebec Nordiques |
1996 | Daniel Alfredsson | Ottawa Senators |
1997 | Bryan Berard | New York Islanders |
1998 | Sergei Samsonov | Boston Bruins |
1999 | Chris Drury | Colorado Avalanche |
2000 | Scott Gomez | New Jersey Devils |
2001 | Evgeni Nabokov | San Jose Sharks |
2002 | Dany Heatley | Atlanta Thrashers |
2003 | Barret Jackman | St. Louis Blues |
2004 | Andrew Raycroft | Boston Bruins |
2005 | Season cancelled due to lockout | |
2006 | Alex Ovechkin | Washington Capitals |
2007 | Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins |
2008 | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks |
2009 | Steve Mason | Columbus Blue Jackets |
2010 | Tyler Myers | Buffalo Sabres |
2011 | Jeff Skinner | Carolina Hurricanes |
2012 | Gabriel Landeskog | Colorado Avalanche |
2013 | Jonathan Huberdeau | Florida Panthers |
2014 | Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche |
2015 | Aaron Ekblad | Florida Panthers |
2016 | Artemi Panarin | Chicago Blackhawks |
2017 | Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs |
2018 | Mathew Barzal | New York Islanders |
2019 | Elias Pettersson | Vancouver Canucks |
2020 | Cale Makar | Colorado Avalanche |
2021 | Kirill Kaprizov | Minnesota Wild |
2022 | Moritz Seider | Detroit Red Wings |
2023 | Matty Beniers | Seattle Kraken |
2024 | Connor Bedard | Chicago Blackhawks |