February 22, 2026: Connor McDavid 97 of Canada during the Mens Ice hockey, Eishockey Gold Medal game between Canada and USA held at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS in Milan, Italy. MilanoCortina2026 Milan Italy - ZUMAc04_ 20260222_zma_c04_161 Copyright: xDanielxLeax
February 22, 2026: Connor McDavid 97 of Canada during the Mens Ice hockey, Eishockey Gold Medal game between Canada and USA held at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, Olympische Spiele, Olympia, OS in Milan, Italy. MilanoCortina2026 Milan Italy - ZUMAc04_ 20260222_zma_c04_161 Copyright: xDanielxLeax
Nikita Kucherov won the 2026 Hart Trophy on Thursday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward narrowly beat Connor McDavid by 10 points. However, NHL fans didn't agree with the voters.
Kucherov played a dominant regular season with 130 points, 44 goals, and 86 assists in 76 games. He also led the NHL with a 1.71 points-per-game average and earned 1436 points during voting.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers captain led the entire NHL with 138 points and won the 2026 Ted Lindsay Award, but earned 1426 points.
McDavid's peers recognised his dominance in the game. They voted him the 2026 Ted Lindsay Award for a record-tying fifth time less than a week ago. It put Connor McDavid on the same level as Wayne Gretzky as the only players to ever win it that many times.
However, the Ted Lindsay Award is voted on entirely by NHL players, with the onus on McDavid’s peers. However, members of the Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) vote to decide the Hart Trophy winners.
So when the PHWA's voting list went public, the fans didn't agree.
NHL Fans Almost Unanimously Disagreed With the Verdict
Even some Tampa Bay fans questioned the voters. "I'm a Lightning fan, and I think it is absolutely pathetic that they got all these Awards. A joke," one fan posted.
Another argued how this was not the right time, "Kucherov deserved it in 2024 over MacKinnon, not this one."
Others directly attacked the result. "Should have been McDavid or MacKinnon," one fan wrote. MacKinnon was listed on 195 ballots, collecting 52 first-place votes and 1,297 points for third place.
Even fans who disliked the Oilers argued in Connor McDavid's favor. "Connor McDavid should win that award every single year, and I hate the Oilers. He’s so much better than everyone else," wrote a fan.
"This f****** league is a joke. Once again, the d******** who get to vote got it wrong. McDavid should have won the Hart. Players know who the MVP is, but the writers got it wrong. This is worse than not having Bouchard in the final 3 for the Norris," vented another fan.
However, first-place voting numbers revealed that the writers were anything but unanimous with their decision. Kucherov earned 72 first-place votes, while McDavid was close behind with 68.
Do you also believe Connor McDavid should've won his 4th Hart Trophy, or are you divided like the PHWA? Tell us in the comments.
Read more at NHL Fan Central!
Written by
Aadhya Nalla
Edited by
Sagnik Bagchi