The Stanley Cup Finals kicks off on June 8th, with the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Florida Panthers. The Oilers can be the first Canadian Stanley Cup Champion since the Montreal Canadiens did it in 1993. The NHL will hand out the Conn Smythe Trophy at the end of the series, awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player of their team during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens are the most winningest team in NHL history, so it's no surprise they have many past winners.
The award honors Conn Smythe, a longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Each year since 1965, writers of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote to elect the player deserving of the trophy. Before the presentation of the Stanley Cup, Gary Bettman presents the trophy to the winner. The NHL began releasing the vote tallies for the trophy starting in 2017.
We've been doing a series here on A Winning Habit that outlines the winners of every award from the Canadiens franchise. Buckle up, because this iteration is a long and storied list of some of the greatest Habs in history.