After the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that Connor McDavid, the best player in the world, had won the Conn Smythe Trophy. This made him the first player since 2003 to win the Conn Smythe on the losing team.
The player in 2003 who won the Conn Smythe was Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who was present on the ice for the presentation, unlike McDavid. Giguere criticized McDavid for not accepting his award in person.
Aside from McDavid and Giguere, only Ron Hextall, Reggie Leach, Glenn Hall, and Roger Crozier have won the Conn Smythe on the losing team. While it makes sense why McDavid might not want to come out for the trophy, Giguere believes that accepting the award is a necessary show of respect for the game.
