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 NHL All-Star Game began in 1947 and in the initial years of the game, the concept of the MVP was not prominent.
The MVP is awarded to recognize a players' game-changing excellence on the rink. The winner of the award is named after all the events are conducted. 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 the MVP honors from various different teams. The most recent winner of the NHL All-Star MVP award 2024 is Auston Matthews of Toronto Maple Leafs. It also marked the second consecutive season a player from the host city won the award (Matthew Tkachuk in 2023 with the Florida Panthers).
Youngest NHL All-Star MVP players
Mario Lemieux holds the record of winning the NHL All-Star MVP award at the age of 19 years, 3 months, and 28 days, making him the youngest player ever to receive this honor.
Before Lemineux, Wayne Gretzky won the NHL All-Star MVP in the 1982-1983 season at that time, he was 22 years old. Mario Lemineux went on to break Gretzky’s record in 1985, winning the award at just 19 years.
After the two legendary 80s players, Ryan Johansen of the Columbus Blue Jackets received the NHL All-Star MVP award at the age of 22 years, 6 months, and 7 days in the 2014-2015 season. In the 2017-2018 season, Brock Boeser was named for this honor at the age of 20 years, 10 months, and 11 days, becoming the first rookie to do so after Mario Lemieux in 1985.
Lastly, in 2019-2020, David Pastrnak was named for the NHL All-Star MVP award when he was 23 years, 7 months, and 19 days old.
Shown below are the youngest All-Star MVP winners. The table is shown in an descending order of All-Star game years:
| Year | Player | Age |
| 1983 | Wayne Gretzky | 22 years, 11 months, 19 days |
| 1995 | Mario Lemineux | 19 years, 3 months, 28 days |
| 2015 | Ryan Johansen | 22 years, 6 months, 7 days |
| 2018 | Brock Boeser | 20 years, 10 months, 11 days |
| 2020 | David Pastrnak | 23 years, 7 months, 19 days |
Players with the Most NHL All-Star MVP Awards
Throughout its rich history, many players have won the All-Star honors multiple times. This elusive list includes Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemineux, Bobby Hull and Frank Mahovlich.
Here is a list of individuals who have won the MVP honors the most times:
| Players | No. of Awards |
| Wayne Gretzky | 3 |
| Mario Lemieux | 3 |
| Bobby Hull | 2 |
| Frank Mahovlich | 2 |
FAQs
A. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs was named for the NHL All-Star MVP award.
A. Mario Lemieux holds the record of winning the NHL All-Star MVP award at the age of 19 years, 3 months, and 28 days, making him the youngest player ever to receive this honor.
A. Connor Bedard was named for the NHL All-Star Game in 2024, making him the youngest player in NHL history to do so. He was 18 years and 202 days old at the time of the NHL All-Star game 2024.
A. Hall of famer Gordie Howe holds a record of NHL All-Star Game appearances 23 times.
A. Wayne Gretzky and longtime teammate Mario Lemineux have won the most All-Star MVP honors, with three apiece.
