Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Hart Trophy, his second time earning the honor as the NHL’s most valuable player.
The league announced the honor Thursday night prior to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, but Kucherov apparently learned earlier during a surprise presentation at the Lightning training facility in Brandon.
“Thanks for this honor,” Kucherov said in a Lightning video. “I’m just really grateful for my team and coaches, my family. This means a lot.”
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The whimsical video follows Hockey Hall of Fame vice president Phil Pritchard, known as “Keeper of the Cup,” as he flies the Hart Trophy from Toronto to Tampa, then transporting it by streetcar, jet ski and sports car to the TGH Ice Plex.
As Kucherov enters a darkened room, he sets eyes on the trophy as Pritchard calls out, “Nikita, what’s going on, buddy? Good to see you.”
The 32-year-old Russian forward led all NHL players with 1.71 points a game on 44 goals and 86 assists. With 130 points, he ranked second to only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who had 138.
McDavid was a close second by 10 points in voting by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was third and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini fourth.
Kucherov, known for his precision,often no-look passing, had 42 more points than his next-closest teammate, Jake Guentzel, on an injury-decimated team that won 51 games and finished second in the Atlantic Division with 106 points.
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Kucherov also won the Hart following the 2019 season. He was third in voting a year ago and second in 2023-24.
"One of the great things that makes Kuch Kuch is he's never satisfied," Cooper said in the Lightning video. "He could have 50 goals one year, well, he wants 51 the next year. He could have 100 assists one year. He might want 110 the next year.
“I think really that's the growth of Kuch, he doesn't put that above the team.”
Kucherov is the third Lightning winner of a major 2025-26 award. Cooper was named this year’s Jack Adams Award winner as top coach and Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his second Vezina Trophy as best goaltender.
“The list of players on there is amazing,” Cooper said of the Hart Trophy. “For him to be on there multiple times – pretty cool.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
