Oilers Star Captain McDavid Earns 5th Ted Lindsay Award, Tying Gretzky

Edmonton Oilers’ superstar captain Connor McDavid has received the Ted Lindsay Award for a fifth time, tying the all-time record set by Wayne Gretzky.

The honour is determined by a vote from the NHL Players’ Association for “the most outstanding player in the NHL.” 

The 29-year-old centre’s win this year matches the record established by former Oilers captain Gretzky during the 1986-1987 season.

“This award, coming from the guys that you play against every single night and battle against every single night, to have them recognize me with an award like this, means so much,” McDavid said after a surprise presentation of the award while he was playing a round of golf.

The Ted Lindsay Award (TLA) presentation was recorded in a video shared on social media, showing his parents arriving in a golf cart to deliver him the trophy.

The presentation was a surprise set up by the league with the help of McDavid’s wife Lauren Kyle McDavid, a Canadian interior designer and entrepreneur.

McDavid referred to the understated trophy presentation as “such a special way” to celebrate with his wife, parents, and brother, as well as several “hometown buddies that I don’t get to spend too much time with.”

McDavid was also named the TLA recipient in the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2020-2021 and 2022-2023 seasons.  

The Oilers’ captain has become the third-fastest player in NHL history to accumulate 1,200 points. He achieved it in 784 games, trailing only Gretzky, who did it in 504 games, and Mario Lemieux, who reached it in 593 games.

This marks McDavid’s eighth season with at least 70 assists, tying Lemieux for the second place in the most seasons of 70-plus assists, trailing only Gretzky’s record of 15 seasons.

McDavid finished the 2025-2026 season with a total of 138 points, which included 48 goals and 90 assists. He went on to claim the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer for the sixth time, tying with Gordie Howe and Lemieux for the second-highest number of wins, behind Gretzky’s record of 10.

Finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award included San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, who set a single-season Sharks record with 115 points in 2025-2026, and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who received the award for a third time in 2024-2025.

The award is the only major NHL honour decided by the players themselves. Every active NHL player gets to cast a vote for the individual they consider to be the most exceptional overall performer at the conclusion of the regular season, according to the NHL.

Other past recipients include former Pittsburgh Penguins centre Lemieux, who has won the honour four times, and Penguins centre and captain Sidney Crosby, who has won three times.

Other players with three wins include Washington Capitals left winger and captain Alexander Ovechkin, former New York Rangers right winger Jaromir Jagr, and former Montreal Canadiens right winger Guy Lafleur.

The award was first established in 1970-1971 as the Lester B. Pearson Award. It was reintroduced in 2009-2010 as the Ted Lindsay Award to honour the late player’s legacy as a Hockey Hall of Fame forward as well as his contributions to the founding of the original National Hockey League Players’ Association.