McDavid Ties Gretzky With Fifth Ted Lindsay Award

Connor McDavid thought he was playing nine holes and grabbing dinner with his wife. He walked off the course with his fifth Ted Lindsay Award instead.

He won the 2025-26 honor, given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by the players themselves. Only one other player has won it five times. That would be Wayne Gretzky.

Here’s the announcement:

Lauren McDavid planned the ambush at Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario. Connor’s parents, his brother Cam and four childhood friends rolled up behind him in golf carts as he made his way to the ninth hole. His dad stepped out holding the trophy, and the NHL’s cameras caught the whole thing on video.

McDavid admitted the setup had him confused before the reveal.

“I was texting my buddies midround and they weren’t texting me back,” he said. “I thought that was a little bit odd. Such a special way to do it with family here, friends, hometown buddies that I don’t get to spend too much time with. Definitely means a lot.”

Watch the video of the surprise:

The award caps a season where McDavid led the league with 138 points on 48 goals and 90 assists. He put up points in 68 of his 82 games and ripped off a 20-game point streak between early December and mid-January.

Gretzky won his five back when the trophy was called the Lester B. Pearson Award. Frank Seravalli put the company McDavid now keeps in perspective:

Edmonton’s captain was asked what makes this trophy different from the media-voted hardware.

“This award, coming from the guys that you play against every single night and battle against every single night and to have them recognize me for an award like this means so much,” he said.

Trophy deliveries have been a whole production this week, with Andrei Vasilevskiy getting his Vezina from a police K-9 days earlier. McDavid might not be done collecting either. He’s a Hart Trophy finalist again, an award he’s already won three times.