Conn Smythe Trophy 2024: Oilers’ Connor McDavid Wins over Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky

For the first time since 2003, the Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded to a member of the losing team.

After the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup on Monday, Oilers star Conor McDavid was given the award for an outstanding performance in the playoffs.

McDavid finished the postseason with 42 points—eight goals and 34 assists—across 25 games played.

In front of a Panthers crowd, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was met with a rain of boos from the crowd after he announced McDavid had won the coveted award. McDavid did not come out to the ice to accept the award.

It was a bit surprising for McDavid to win the trophy given the rarity of a member of the losing team winning it. The last winner from a losing team was Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003.

While Florida fans were disappointed to see McDavid win the award over Sergei Bobrovsky or another member of the Panthers take home the Conn Smythe, it’s hard to deny that McDavid was the most impressive player throughout the playoffs.

His 42 points in the postseason were the fourth most in NHL history, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (43, 47) and Mario Lemieux (44).

After McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe, there were mixed reactions from fans on social media.

Being awarded the Conn Smythe is a nice boost to McDavid’s resume, but the star likely would have rather walked away with the Stanley Cup Trophy. The Oilers put together an impressive stretch of games to come back from a 3-0 deficit, but they didn’t have enough to complete the historic comeback.

McDavid has now experienced his first Stanley Cup Finals and even was named the best player of the postseason, but he’ll be looking to come back next season and win it all.