What is the Hart Trophy and how do you earn it?

The Colorado Avalanche are in the midst of a playoff run, currently facing the Winnipeg Jets. With the regular season in the books, much has been talked about regarding rewards for performances over the course of the regular season.

While we would love to say that several of our players on the Colorado Avalanche are deserving of a trophy, it just is not the case. That does not mean that none of them are worthy, however. Specifically, the name Nathan MacKinnon comes to mind when discussing potential award recipients and he is surely going to receive one award in particular for his outstanding performances over the course of the 2023-24 NHL season.

Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon is up for the Hart Trophy

The Hart Trophy goes out to the MVP of the NHL every single year. It was first introduced all the way back during the 1923-24 season, literally 100 years ago this season. That blows my mind how long this award has been passed on for! There have been many tremendous players who have hoisted this trophy.

It was an incredible race for the Hart Trophy this season, as MacKinnon was battling for the award with the likes of Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Some, probably most, feel as if MacKinnon was snubbed of the award in the past, but it's pretty much all but set in stone (or whatever the award is made out of) now. In 82 games, MacKinnon has 140 points, which consisted of 51 goals and 89 assists. He had a plus-minus of plus-35, the best of his career, which began as the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

We will find out the decision of who wins the award during the awards show, which will be in early-May.