“Youngest defenceman in 52 years” – Avalanche’s Cale Makar wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in Stanley Cup Final


“Youngest defenceman in 52 years” – Avalanche’s Cale Makar wins Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in Stanley Cup Final

Cale Makar won the 2022 Conn Smythe Trophy

Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar won the 2022 Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs following the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup victory over the reigning champions the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Cup Final. He was also named the third defenceman in National Hockey League history to get the Norris Trophy in the same season. 

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He was voted the winner after he helped the team secure the Cup for the first time since 2001. In the Cup Final of Game 6, Cale Makar registered 7 points with 3 goals and 4 assists against the Lightning. He is the 7th defenceman to win the Conn Smythe Trophy since 1990. Apart from the playoffs, in the season he scored a total of 28 goals and 58 assists in 77 games. He took his game up another notch during the playoffs.

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Cale Makar wins both the Conn Smythe and Norris Trophy in the same season

Cale Makar won the 2022 Conn Smythe Trophy
Cale Makar won the 2022 Conn Smythe Trophy

Colorado Avalanche’s defenceman Cale Makar is the third defenceman in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe Trophy, and Norris Trophy in the same season, joining Bobby Orr and Lidstrom. He is the third in the NHL with 29 points, 8 goals, and 21 assists in 19 games this postseason, according to nhl.com. His top-notch performance on the ice gave him a unanimous vote for the Conn Smythe, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

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His biggest moment came in an electrifying fashion in the early Game 2 of Avalanche’s first-round series against the Nashville Predators where he touched up the contest in overtime with a stunning goal. Makar didn’t just stop there. He made himself stand out during the whole Stanley Cup playoffs. He had 10 points against the Predators, the most by a defenceman through 4 games in NHL history. 

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In the Western Conference Finals against Edmonton Oilers, he recorded 5 points in a 6-5 OT win in Game 4, becoming the first NHL defenceman in history to get 5 points in a series-clinching game. After the game, Cale Makar commented, “I knew they were trying to get out of the zone. My instinct was to try to give them as much time as possible”.  He joins Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy as the Avalanche’s only Conn Smythe winners in franchise history.

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