The scoring championship could well end in a tie!

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Jeff Drouin
April 19, 2022 (8:23 PM)

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The Art Ross Trophy is awarded annually to the top scorer of the regular season. The battle for the award is very close this season, with five players still in with a chance of finishing as the top scorer.

The Art Ross Trophy is the only NHL award that has a tiebreaker if needed. Looking at the current standings, it would not be surprising to see a tie for the scoring lead at the end of the regular season.

In order to determine the overall winner, the league has determined three tie-breaking elements:

1- The player with the most goals;
2- The player with the fewest games played;
3-The player who scored his first goal the fastest.

Yes, the 3rd element is a bit ridiculous, but we haven't had to go to the second one yet, so the trophy was never awarded based on the fastest goal. Still, a point is a point. The winner of the Art Ross should be determined on points per game, not goals. The tiebreaker criteria should definitely be reviewed by the NHL, at the very least to implement the points per game clause...

On three occasions in history, the Art Ross has been awarded by a tie-breaker, in the 1961-1962, 1979-1980 and 1994-1995 seasons.

1961-1962 season - Bobby Hull vs Andy Bathgatee

Bathgate finished the season tied with Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks with 84 points. Both players played in 70 regular season games. Hull took top honours with 50 goals compared to Bathgate's 28.

1979-1980 Season - Marcel Dionne vs Wayne Gretzky

What a first season in the National Hockey League for the Wonder. Gretzky finished with 137 points, an unprecedented number for a first-year player. However, Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings would leave nothing for Gretzky. Dionne matched Gretzky's total and received the Art Ross Trophy by scoring 53 goals, two more than #99.

1994-1995 season - Eric Lindros vs Jaromir Jagr

The last time the tiebreaker had to be used to determine the Art Ross winner was in the 1994-95 season. In that shortened 48-game season, Jaromir Jagr and Eric Lindros both finished with 70 points. It was Jagr who ultimately took the top honours as he scored 32 goals, compared to Lindros who scored 29.

Via THW.
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