NEW YORK: Russian right-winger from the Tampa Bay Lightning Nikita Kucherov has been awarded the Hart Trophy for the second consecutive year...
NEW YORK: Russian right-winger from the Tampa Bay Lightning Nikita Kucherov has been awarded the Hart Trophy for the second consecutive year, the NHL’s press office said in a statement.
"Thanks for this honor. Just really grateful for my teammates, coaches, my family. This means a lot," the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning club’s press office quoted Kucherov as saying.
The Russian player edged out Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid by 10 points and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who finished second and third, respectively, in pursuit of the Hart Trophy.
Playing in the 2025/2026 NHL regular season, Kucherov racked up 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) in 76 matches.
Commenting on Kucherov’s award, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper said: "One of the great things that makes 'Kuch' Kuch is he's never satisfied… He could have 50 goals one year, well, he wants 51 the next year. He could have a hundred assists one year. He might want 110 the next year. I think really that's the growth of Kuch, he doesn't put that above the team."
"The list of players on [the Hart Trophy] is amazing. For him to be on there multiple times ... pretty cool," Cooper added.
Kucherov, 32, joined the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011 and has played for them ever since. In his career, he has 1,124 points (401 goals and 723 assists) in 879 regular-season games.
Kucherov is one of three Russians in history to win the Art Ross Trophy (in 2019, 2024, 2025), along with Pittsburgh Penguins’ Yevgeny Malkin (in 2009, 2012) and recently crowned goals king Alexander Ovechkin (2008). He is the winner of two Stanley Cups (in 2020, 2021).
In 2020, Kucherov led the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup title since 2004, amassing 34 playoff points (seven goals, 27 assists) during the campaign. The following year, he again won the Stanley Cup with his club.
Playing for the Russian national ice hockey team, Kucherov won bronze medals at the 2017 and 2019 IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World Championships.
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