Which NHL player has won the most Hart Memorial Trophies?

Wayne Gretzky has won the most Hart Memorial Trophies, collecting the NHL’s regular-season MVP award nine times.

Gretzky won eight consecutive Harts from 1979–80 through 1986–87, all but one with the Edmonton Oilers. His ninth came in 1988–89, his first season with the Los Angeles Kings. The Hart is awarded to the player judged most valuable to his team, based on voting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

The closest major challenger is Gordie Howe, who won the trophy six times. Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr each won it three times, so the wrong options are distinguished players but not record-holders. Gretzky’s Hart total is separate from his ten Art Ross Trophies for leading the league in points and his four Stanley Cup championships.

The trophy’s history reaches back to 1923, when Dr. David A. Hart donated it to the NHL. It was first awarded after the 1923–24 season, making Gretzky’s record part of a tradition spanning more than a century.