The Frank J. Selke Trophy, or simply the Selke 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 ...
forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. The winner is selected by a poll 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 ...
following the regular season.
Named after
Frank J. Selke, former general manager of the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
and
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 ...
, the trophy has been awarded 44 times to 27 different players since the
1977–78 NHL season
The 1977–78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won their third Stanley Cup in a row, defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals.
League business
Prior to the star ...
.
History
The trophy was first awarded at the end of the
1977–78 NHL season
The 1977–78 NHL season was the 61st season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens won their third Stanley Cup in a row, defeating the Boston Bruins four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals.
League business
Prior to the star ...
. It was named after
Frank J. Selke, former general manager of the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
and
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 ...
.
The Selke Trophy was the fifth and last of the major NHL awards to be introduced that have been named after General Managers and owners of the
Original Six teams, the other awards being the
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has ...
,
James Norris Memorial Trophy
The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top " defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is named after Ja ...
,
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy (french: Trophée Conn Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general ma ...
, and
Jack Adams Award.
The first recipient was
Bob Gainey
Robert Michael Gainey (born December 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 until 1989. After retiring from active play, he became a hockey coach and later an executive wit ...
of the Canadiens, who won the trophy the first four years it was given.
Patrice Bergeron
Patrice Bergeron-Cleary (born July 24, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bergeron played junior hockey with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Ju ...
of the Boston Bruins has won it more times than any other player, with five wins.
Guy Carbonneau
Joseph Harry Guy Carbonneau (born March 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive in the National Hockey League. He was also the president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Chicoutimi Saguenéens. ...
,
Jere Lehtinen
Jere Kalervo Lehtinen (born June 24, 1973) is a Finland, Finnish former professional ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward. A winger (ice hockey), right winger, he was drafted in the third round, 88th overall, in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the ...
and
Pavel Datsyuk are tied for the third-most wins, with three apiece.
The Montreal Canadiens and the
Detroit Red Wings have won the trophy the most times, with 7 awards apiece. The team with the greatest number of unique winners are the Red Wings with 4—
Sergei Fedorov
Sergei Viktorovich Fyodorov (; born December 13, 1969) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and the current head coach of CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). During his playing career, for which he is best known fo ...
(twice),
Steve Yzerman,
Kris Draper
Kristopher Bruce "Kris" Draper (born May 24, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current director of amateur scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, the team which he played 17 seasons for during his 20-year National Hockey ...
, and Datsyuk (three times)—all coming since 1994.
There has been only one instance in which a Selke Trophy winner was also awarded the
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 Most Valuable Player when Sergei Fedorov captured both trophies during the
1993–94 NHL season
The 1993–94 NHL season was the 77th regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 26 teams with the addition of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Florida Panthers. The New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks ...
.
There has not been an instance in which the
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has ...
winner has been awarded the Selke Trophy, though Fedorov finished second in regular season scoring in 1994,
while Hart Trophy winner and Art Ross Trophy runner-up
Joe Sakic
Joseph Steven Sakic (; born July 7, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played his entire 21-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. Named captain ...
finished second in Selke voting in 2001. The most points scored in a Selke-winning season is 127 by
Doug Gilmour
Douglas Robert Gilmour (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for seven different teams. Gilmour was a seventh round selection, 134th overall, of the St. ...
in the
1992–93 NHL season.
Winners
See also
*
List of National Hockey League awards
The National Hockey League presents numerous annual awards and trophies to recognize its teams and players. The oldest, and most recognizable, is the Stanley Cup. First awarded in 1893, the Stanley Cup is awarded to the NHL's playoff champion. ...
*
List of NHL players
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby uni ...
*
List of NHL statistical leaders
__NOTOC__
Skaters
The statistics listed include the 2021–22 NHL regular season and 2022 playoffs.
All-time leaders (skaters)
Active skaters (during 2022–23 NHL season) are listed in boldface.
Regular season: Points
Regular season: Po ...
*
Two-way forward
In ice hockey, a two-way forward is a forward who handles the defensive aspects of the game as well as the offensive aspects. Typically, a player's frame is not an issue in whether he can be a two-way forward. Perseverance is key to being a two-w ...
References
;General
Frank J. Selke Trophyat NHL.com
at Legends of Hockey.net
;Specific
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selke, Frank J. Trophy
National Hockey League trophies and awards
Awards established in 1978