Just one skater in NHL history has won the Conn Smythe after losing in the Stanley Cup Final. Such a feat takes a monumental effort to achieve.
Then again, not every skater is Connor McDavid.
The Oilers captain is the best player in the game right now and is well on his way to becoming a legend of the sport. While he does not yet have a Conn Smythe to his name, that’s one of the last things he needs to add to his resume.
The other is a Stanley Cup. McDavid has yet to win a championship in the NHL, but it feels more like a question of when, not if, the one they call McJesus will earn a ring. He has a chance to do so in 2024, but he is facing the improbable task of completing a 3-0 comeback against the Panthers.
Such a comeback has been done four times in NHL playoff history, including once in the Stanley Cup Final, albeit in 1942. And if anyone were to do it in today’s NHL, McDavid would be the first guess.
Yet even if he falls short of his task, there is a chance he still could win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. He is putting together one of the greatest postseason campaigns to date and could very well break the great Wayne Gretzky’s record for most playoff points in a single postseason.
MORE: Why is it called the Stanley Cup?
Conn Smythe winners on losing teams
Just five NHLers ever have won the Conn Smythe in a losing effort, and no one has done so in more than 20 years.
The last time a member of the losing team won playoff MVP in the Stanley Cup Final came in 2003. Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was awarded the Conn Smyth after the Devils defeated the Ducks in seven games of the championship series. Giguere recorded an impressive 1.62 GAA and a .945 save percentage, recording five shutouts during the 2023 playoffs, including three in the Western Conference Final against the Wild.
The last time a skater on the losing club took home playoff MVP was in 1976, when Reggie Leach won it as a member of the Flyers. The Philadelphia winger posted 19 goals and 24 points, leading the league in both categories as the Flyers lost to the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final. He is the only skater to ever win the Conn Smythe as a member of a losing team.
Here’s a look at every Conn Smythe winner that’s been a member of the losing team.
| Year | Player | Team | Position |
| 2003 | Jean-Sebastien Giguere | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | G |
| 1987 | Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | G |
| 1976 | Reggie Leach | Philadelphia Flyers | RW |
| 1968 | Glenn Hall | St. Louis Blues | G |
| 1966 | Roger Crozier | Detroit Red Wings | G |
Full list of Conn Smythe winners
The Conn Smythe has been awarded to the top playoff performer since 1965. The 2005 season was the only year in which there was not a winner due to the season being canceled from the NHL lockout.
Here’s a look at every Conn Smythe winner.
| Year | Player | Team | Position |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2023 | Jonathan Marchessault | Vegas Golden Knights | RW |
| 2022 | Cale Makar | Colorado Avalanche | D |
| 2021 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | G |
| 2020 | Victor Hedman | Tampa Bay Lightning | D |
| 2019 | Ryan O’Reilly | St. Louis Blues | C |
| 2018 | Alex Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | LW |
| 2017 | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | C |
| 2016 | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | C |
| 2015 | Duncan Keith | Chicago Blackhawks | D |
| 2014 | Justin Williams | Los Angeles Kings | RW |
| 2013 | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks | RW |
| 2012 | Jonathan Quick | Los Angeles Kings | G |
| 2011 | Tim Thomas | Boston Bruins | G |
| 2010 | Jonathan Toews | Chicago Blackhawks | C |
| 2009 | Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins | C |
| 2008 | Henrik Zetterberg | Detroit Red Wings | C |
| 2007 | Scott Niedermayer | Anaheim Ducks | D |
| 2006 | Cam Ward | Carolina Hurricanes | G |
| 2005 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2004 | Brad Richards | Tampa Bay Lightning | C |
| 2003 | Jean-Sebastien Giguere | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | G |
| 2002 | Nicklas Lidstrom | Detroit Red Wings | D |
| 2001 | Patrick Roy | Colorado Avalanche | G |
| 2000 | Scott Stevens | New Jersey Devils | D |
| 1999 | Joe Nieuwendyk | Dallas Stars | C |
| 1998 | Steve Yzerman | Detroit Red Wings | C |
| 1997 | Mike Vernon | Detroit Red Wings | G |
| 1996 | Joe Sakic | Colorado Avalanche | C |
| 1995 | Claude Lemieux | New Jersey Devils | RW |
| 1994 | Brian Leetch | New York Rangers | D |
| 1993 | Patrick Roy | Montreal Canadiens | G |
| 1992 | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | C |
| 1991 | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | C |
| 1990 | Bill Ranford | Edmonton Oilers | G |
| 1989 | Al MacInnis | Calgary Flames | D |
| 1988 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | C |
| 1987 | Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | G |
| 1986 | Patrick Roy | Montreal Canadiens | G |
| 1985 | Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton Oilers | C |
| 1984 | Mark Messier | Edmonton Oilers | C |
| 1983 | Billy Smith | New York Islanders | G |
| 1982 | Mike Bossy | New York Islanders | RW |
| 1981 | Butch Goring | New York Islanders | C |
| 1980 | Bryan Trottier | New York Islanders | C |
| 1979 | Bob Gainey | Montreal Canadiens | LW |
| 1978 | Larry Robinson | Montreal Canadiens | D |
| 1977 | Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | RW |
| 1976 | Reggie Leach | Philadelphia Flyers | RW |
| 1975 | Bernie Parent | Philadelphia Flyers | G |
| 1974 | Bernie Parent | Philadelphia Flyers | G |
| 1973 | Yvan Cournoyer | Montreal Canadiens | RW |
| 1972 | Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins | D |
| 1971 | Ken Dryden | Montreal Canadiens | G |
| 1970 | Bobby Orr | Boston Bruins | D |
| 1969 | Serge Savard | Montreal Canadiens | D |
| 1968 | Glenn Hall | St. Louis Blues | G |
| 1967 | Dave Keon | Toronto Maple Leafs | C |
| 1966 | Roger Crozier | Detroit Red Wings | G |
| 1965 | Jean Beliveau | Montreal Canadiens | C |
