Three stars (ice hockey)

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Jimmy Howard recognized as the second star after recording a shutout in an October 8, 2010 game against the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim Ducks vs. Detroit Red Wings Oct 8, 2010 58.JPG
Jimmy Howard recognized as the second star after recording a shutout in an October 8, 2010 game against the Anaheim Ducks.

The three stars (French : trois étoiles) in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the "first star" considered the best of the three players, akin to the player of the match in other sports. Media representatives of the home team choose the three stars, who are usually the top point scorers or outstanding goaltenders from either team.

Contents

Usage

Three stars were first awarded in the 1936–37 NHL season as a means for Imperial Oil ( Hockey Night in Canada 's then new principal sponsor) to advertise its “Three Star” brand of gasoline. [1] In addition, it was seen as a way to promote the game's best stars of the time. [1] After the sponsorship ended in 1976, the tradition remained on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship hockey show. [1]

The usage of three stars has since expanded greatly. All professional hockey teams (or radio/television broadcasts of those teams) in North America award three stars at the end of each game, and many amateur and collegiate leagues (or broadcasts of their games) do as well. The National Hockey League awards three stars during every game, in both the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, and not just limited to those shown on HNIC. Media representatives of the home team make the selections. It also awards a nightly set of three stars, [2] which are the three best players out of all who played a game in the league on a given night. Also, in the 2007–08 NHL season, the previous awards of “Offensive Player of the Week” and “Defensive Player of the Week” were replaced by the “Three Stars of the Week”, while the similar awards of “Offensive Player of the Month” and “Defensive Player of the Month” were replaced by the “Three Stars of the Month”.

The NHL also has a system which awards points to its nightly three stars: 30 points to the first star, 20 points to the second, and 10 to the third. [2] It keeps a running tally of the number of points each player has been awarded . NHL teams may use these standings; for example, the Vancouver Canucks award a sum to a charity chosen by its player who earned the highest number of points that month. The Molson Cup is also awarded to the top point-earner of the year of each Canadian team.

Despite its popularity in North America, three stars are generally not awarded during international play, such as at the Winter Olympic Games. The IIHF World Championships and World Junior Championships instead issue awards such as "Best Player" for each team per game, or the overall best player per position over the course of the tournament. [3]

Unusual selections

The three star selections for a game, being a "fun" statistic, do not ordinarily affect any other aspect of the game. As such, there have been instances in which the three stars have been awarded in an unexpected way, often to recognize a single player's accomplishments.

On occasion, a player has been awarded all three stars, [1] or a star has been given to non-players, such as the crowd in attendance. [4]

To honor his final game as the long-time broadcaster for the Chicago Blackhawks, Pat Foley was named the number one star of the Hawks' game against San Jose on April 14, 2022.

See also

Notes and references

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey</span> Team sport played on ice using sticks, skates, and a puck

Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding team sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Hockey League</span> North American professional ice hockey league

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered to be the top ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, with players from 17 countries as of the 2023–24 season. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also views the Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavel Datsyuk</span> Russian ice hockey player (born 1978)

Pavel Valerievich Datsyuk is a Russian former professional ice hockey player. Datsyuk was nicknamed the "Magic Man" honoring his incredible stickhandling and creativity with the puck. From 2001 to 2016, he played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). In 2017, Datsyuk was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history, and was the only active player outside of the NHL at the time of announcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Blake</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1969)

Robert Bowlby Blake is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He is the current general manager of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the Kings in 1988, appearing in the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy and serving as team captain for five seasons in his initial 11-season stint with the club. In 2001, Blake was traded to the Colorado Avalanche and was a member of their 2001 Stanley Cup championship team. It was his only Stanley Cup as a player, though he won the Cup again as a member of the Kings' front office in 2014. After a two-season return to Los Angeles, Blake signed with the San Jose Sharks in 2008, retiring as its captain after the 2009–10 season. Four years later, in 2014, Blake was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jere Lehtinen</span> Finnish ice hockey player

Jere Kalervo Lehtinen is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. A right winger, he was drafted in the third round, 88th overall, in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars. Lehtinen played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the North Stars/Dallas Stars organization. A two-way forward, Lehtinen is perhaps best known for his defensive responsibilities, for which he won the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times as the NHL's top defensive forward. After his retirement, he has served as the general manager of the Finnish national ice hockey team. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cristobal Huet</span> French ice hockey player

Cristobal Huet is a French former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a goalie coach for Lausanne HC of the National League (NL). He previously played for HC Lugano and HC Fribourg-Gottéron and within the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals organizations in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the first French netminder and second French-trained player overall to play in the NHL. He currently co-hosts hockey TV show, Le Repas d'équipe, with fellow French-born Swiss former player Laurent Meunier on MySports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anže Kopitar</span> Slovene ice hockey player (b. 1987)

Anže Kopitar is a Slovenian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Kopitar became the first Slovene to play in the NHL upon making his debut in 2006. Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings, has led the team in scoring in all but two seasons and is fourth in franchise history in points, goals, and assists, scoring his 1,000th career point in 2021. Following the 2015–16 season, he was named the Kings' captain. Noted for both his offensive and defensive play, Kopitar was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016, as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play the same year. He won the Selke Trophy a second time in 2018 and the Lady Byng Trophy in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Ehrhoff</span> German ice hockey player (born 1982)

Christian Ehrhoff is a German professional ice hockey defenceman for Krefeld Pinguine of the German DEL2. In 2018, he won silver at the Winter Olympics. He played more than 800 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) and more than 300 in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany. He is known primarily as an offensive defenceman with strong skating and shooting abilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shea Weber</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Shea Michael Weber is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman under contract with the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played sixteen seasons in the NHL for the Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens. He is known to have one of the hardest shots in hockey history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jannik Hansen</span> Danish ice hockey player

Jannik Hansen is a Danish former professional ice hockey right winger. Hansen began playing professionally at the age of 16 with both the Rødovre Mighty Bulls of the Danish league and the Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish J20 SuperElit and HockeyAllsvenskan leagues. He played three seasons with Rødovre, during which time he was selected 287th overall by the Canucks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. A year after his selection, he moved to North America to play major junior hockey with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for one season. In 2006–07, Hansen began playing with the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL). That season, he was called up by the Vancouver Canucks and became the first Danish citizen to play and register a point in an NHL playoff game. After another campaign spent primarily with Manitoba, Hansen earned a full-time roster spot with the Canucks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Doughty</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1989)

Drew Doughty is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the Guelph Storm of the OHL, where he was twice voted the league's top offensive defenceman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brayden Schenn</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Brayden Michael Schenn is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings fifth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2011 to 2017, before being traded to St. Louis in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Ellis</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Ryan James Ellis is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently under contract for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ellis was drafted eleventh overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and played with them for nine seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan O'Reilly</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1991)

Ryan O'Reilly is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL. O'Reilly was drafted 33rd overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he spent the first six seasons of his NHL career. Nicknamed "the Factor", he is frequently referred to as one of the NHL's best two-way forwards, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meaghan Mikkelson</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Meaghan Mikkelson is a Canadian ice hockey player, broadcaster, and former member of the Canadian national ice hockey team. She is currently affiliated with the Calgary chapter of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie-Philip Poulin</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Marie-Philip Poulin (born March 28, 1991) is a Canadian ice hockey forward and captain of the Canadian national ice hockey team, currently signed in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with the Montreal PWHL team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Stone (ice hockey)</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1992)

Mark Stone is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and captain of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the sixth round, 178th overall, of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendall Coyne Schofield</span> American ice hockey player (born 1992)

Kendall Coyne Schofield is an American professional ice hockey player for the Minnesota PWHL team and the United States women's national ice hockey team. With the national team, she has won six gold medals at the IIHF World Women's Championships and the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. In 2016, she was the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. In January 2017, Coyne was recognized as the recipient of the NCAA Today's Top 10 Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Ekblad</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1996)

Aaron Ekblad is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ekblad was selected first overall in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) entry draft, and he was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut that year. In his first NHL season, Ekblad was selected for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game and earned the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie in the 2014–15 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Jones</span> American ice hockey player

Jared Seth Jones is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. After two seasons playing for the United States National Team Development Program, Jones joined the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Portland Winterhawks.