The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

's top " defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is named after James E. Norris, the longtime owner of the Detroit Red Wings. The James Norris Memorial Trophy has been awarded 61 times to 26 players since its beginnings in 1953–54. At the end of each season, members of the

Professional Hockey Writers' Association The Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) is a North American professional association for ice hockey sports journalism, journalists writing for newspapers, magazines and websites. The PHWA was founded in 1967 and has approximately 180 vot ...

vote to determine the player who was the best defenseman during the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...

History

The trophy is named in honour of James E. Norris, owner of the

's Detroit Red Wings from 1932 to 1952. The trophy was first awarded at the conclusion of the 1953–54 NHL season.

Bobby Orr Robert Gordon Orr (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Orr used his ice skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the pos ...

of the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

won the award for a record eight consecutive seasons (1968–75). Doug Harvey and Nicklas Lidstrom won the award seven times, and

Ray Bourque Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memoria ...

won it five times (Bourque was in the top 3 vote getters for the trophy a further 10 times). The

have had the most Norris Trophies winners with 14; the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

have had the second most with 12. Only two players have won both the Norris and

Hart Memorial Trophy The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was dona ...

for the league Most Valuable Player in the same season: Bobby Orr, who won both trophies in the 1969–70, 1970–71 and 1971–72 seasons, and

Chris Pronger Christopher Robert Pronger ( or ; born October 10, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and a former advisor to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally selected second overall by the Hartford ...

, who won the Hart and Norris in the 1999–2000 NHL season. As of 2021, no defensemen has won the Hart Trophy without also winning the Norris Trophy. Six defensemen won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player before the Norris Trophy's establishment:

Herb Gardiner Herbert Martin Gardiner (May 8, 1891 – January 11, 1972) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Black Hawks of the Na ...

, Eddie Shore (four times), Albert "Babe" Siebert,

Ebbie Goodfellow Ebenezer Robertson Goodfellow (April 9, 1907 – September 10, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Goodfellow played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for fourteen seasons with the Detroit Red Wings from 1929 to 1944 a ...

, Tommy Anderson and

Babe Pratt Walter Peter "Babe" Pratt (January 7, 1916 – December 16, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman/left winger who played for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League between ...

. Save for

Randy Carlyle Randolph Robert Carlyle (born April 19, 1956) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the former head coach of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks. He won the Stanley Cup in 2 ...

, every Norris winner eligible to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame has been. Members of the

vote at the end of the regular season, and each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10–7–5–3–1 point(s) system. Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL awards ceremony after the conclusion of the playoffs.

Winners

References

;General
James Norris Memorial Trophy at NHL.com
;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, James Memorial Trophy National Hockey League trophies and awards Awards established in 1954

History

Winners

See also

References