The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL. The trophy is named after Lester Patrick (1883–1960), player and longtime coach of the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, who was a developer of ice hockey.

History

The Lester Patrick Trophy was presented by the

in 1966. It honors the late Lester Patrick, who was a general manager and coach of the club. It is presented annually for "outstanding service to hockey in the United States". Players, coaches, referees, and executives are eligible to receive the trophy, and are chosen by a committee including the

(NHL) commissioner and a governor, a representative of the New York Rangers; and a previous inductee into the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

's builder section, Hockey Hall of Fame player's section, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, NHL Broadcasters' Association, and the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The trophy's first recipient was Jack Adams. 108 individuals, and three teams, have been given the trophy. The trophy has been given to women on two occasions; in 1999, the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team was presented the trophy along with Harry Sinden, and in 2007, Cammi Granato individually won the trophy. Granato was also a member of the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team that received the trophy in 1998.

Recipients

''^† - Trophy was awarded posthumously.'' Clarence Campbell Stanley Cup 1957

Notes and references

;General * * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Lester Trophy National Hockey League trophies and awards Awards established in 1966