The NHL All-Star Weekend is an annual event organized by the National Hockey League that typically takes place in late January or early February. The event also marks the halfway point of the regular season.
The event is filled with various excitement and festivities like the NHL All-Star Game and NHL Skills Competition. The first NHL All-Star Game took place in 1947 in Toronto between the All-Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs. Notably, the game was organized for charity. The winning team is awarded $1,000,000 towards a charity of their choice.
The NHL All-Star MVP is awarded to recognize a player's game-changing excellence on the rink. The winner is declared after all the events are conducted. Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers was declared the MVP during the 2023 NHL All-Star game.
NHL All-Star MVP Winner List
The NHL All-Star Game began in 1947 and in the initial years of the game, the concept of the MVP was not prominent.
It was in 1962 that the first MVP award was presented. Eddie Shack of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the first-ever recipient of the NHL All-Star MVP. Over the years many notable players have won MVP honors from various different teams. Mathew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers won the MVP honours at the 2023 All-Star game.
A list of all MVP award winners is presented below:
| MVP Player | Season | NHl All-Star Game Team | Original Team |
| Eddie Shack | 1962 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Frank Mahovlich | 1963 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Jean Beliveau | 1964 | All–Stars | Montreal Canadiens |
| Gordie Howe | 1965 | All–Stars | Detroit Red Wings |
| Henri Richard | 1967 | Canadiens | Montreal Canadiens |
| Bruce Gamble | 1968 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Frank Mahovlich | 1969 | East | Detroit Red Wings |
| Bobby Hull | 1970 | East | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Bobby Hull | 1971 | West | Chicago Black Hawks |
| Bobby Orr | 1972 | East | Boston Bruins |
| Greg Polis | 1973 | East | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Garry Unger | 1974 | West | St. Louis Blues |
| Syl Apps Jr. | 1975 | Wales | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Peter Mahovlich | 1976 | Wales | Montreal Canadiens |
| Rick Martin | 1977 | Wales | Buffalo Sabres |
| Billy Smith | 1978 | Wales | New York Islanders |
| Not awarded | Challenge Cup (1979) | NHL All-Stars vs Soviet Union | N/A |
| Reggie Leach | 1980 | Wales | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Mike Liut | 1981 | Campbell | St. Louis Blues |
| Mike Bossy | 1982 | Wales | New York Islanders |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1983 | Campbell | Edmonton Oilers |
| Don Maloney | 1984 | Wales | New York Rangers |
| Mario Lemieux | 1985 | Wales | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Grant Fuhr | 1986 | Wales | Edmonton Oilers |
| Not awarded | Rendez-vous '87 (1987) | NHL All-Stars vs Soviet Union | N/A |
| Mario Lemieux | 1988 | Wales | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1989 | Campbell | Los Angeles Kings |
| Mario Lemieux | 1990 | Wales | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Vincent Damphousse | 1991 | Campbell | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Brett Hull | 1992 | Campbell | St. Louis Blues |
| Mike Gartner | 1993 | Wales | New York Rangers |
| Mike Richter | 1994 | East | New York Rangers |
| 1995 Game cancelled due to NHL lockout | |||
| Ray Bourque | 1996 | East | Boston Bruins |
| Mark Recchi | 1997 | East | Montreal Canadiens |
| Teemu Selanne | 1998 | North America | Anaheim Ducks |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1999 | North America | Los Angeles Kings |
| Pavel Bure | 2000 | World | Vancouver Canucks |
| Bill Guerin | 2001 | North America | Boston Bruins |
| Eric Daze | 2002 | World | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Dany Heatley | 2003 | West | Atlanta Thrashers |
| Joe Sakic | 2004 | East | Colorado Avalanche |
| Game cancelled due to NHL lockout | |||
| No game was held due to the Winter Olympics | |||
| Daniel Briere | 2007 | West | Buffalo Sabres |
| Eric Staal | 2008 | East | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Alexei Kovalev | 2009 | East | Montreal Canadiens |
| No game held due to the Winter Olympics | |||
| Patrick Sharp | 2011 | Team Lidstrom | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Marian Gaborik | 2012 | Team Chara | New York Rangers |
| Game cancelled due to NHL lockout | |||
| No game was held due to the Winter Olympics | |||
| Ryan Johansen | 2015 | Team Toews | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| John Scott | 2016 | Pacific | Arizona Coyotes |
| Wayne Simmonds | 2017 | Pacific | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Brock Boeser | 2018 | Pacific | Vancouver Canucks |
| Sidney Crosby | 2019 | Metropolitan | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| David Pastrnak | 2020 | Atlantic | Boston Bruins |
| Game cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic | |||
| Claude Giroux | 2022 | Metropolitan | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Matthew Tkachuk | 2023 | Atlantic | Florida Panthers |
| TBD | 2024 | TBD | TBD |
Players with the Most NHL All-Star MVP Awards
Throughout its rich history, many players have won the All-Star honours multiple times. This elusive list includes Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Hull and Frank Mahovlich.
Here is a list of individuals who have won the MVP honours the most times:
| Players | No. of Awards |
| Wayne Gretzky | #3 |
| Mario Lemieux | #3 |
| Bobby Hull | #2 |
| Frank Mahovlich | #2 |
List of NHL All Star MVP FAQ
A. Matthew Tkachuk won the NHL All-Star MVP in 2023.
A. Wayne Gretzky and longtime teammate Mario Lemieux have won the most MVP honours, with three apiece.
A. Gordie Howe has the most NHL All-Star appearances. He appeared in 23 NHL All-Star Games throughout his illustrious career.
A. Eddie Shack was the first player to get NHL All-Star MVP honours.
A. The NHL All-Star Game 2024 will be played on Saturday, February 3.
