High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey", is awarded annually to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times to 53 different players since its beginnings in 1924. Each year, members of the Professional Hockey Writers` Association vote to determine the player who was the most valuable to his team during the regular season. It is a companion to the Ted Lindsay Award, which is awarded to the League`s Most Valuable Player as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association.