NHL: 25 worst award snubs in the history of hockey

Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche speaks to the crowd after winning the Calder Memorial Trophy during the 2014 NHL Awards at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on June 24, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche speaks to the crowd after winning the Calder Memorial Trophy during the 2014 NHL Awards at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on June 24, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Jaromir Jagr (L) of the Pittsburgh Penguins (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)

NHL: 25 worst award snubs in the history of hockey: 17. Jaromir Jagr Hart 2000

Jaromir Jagr was the league MVP in 1999. He scored 127 points, the most in the league, for a Pittsburgh Penguins team that was headed to a new era. He came into the league in 1999-00 as the favorite to win the award again. He certainly deserved it. Jagr scored 96 points, which led the league. He did this despite playing just 63 games. A lot of times, players will be disqualified if they miss significant time, but Jagr was so good in the other games, he still proved himself to be the best scorer in the league.

Jagr came in second in Hart Trophy voting in one of the closest votes for MVP in history. Chris Pronger had 25 first-place votes and Jagr had 18 first-place votes. Pronger won the Hart Trophy with 396 voting points. Jagr had 395. The real decision for the MVP came to the person who voted for Steve Yzerman, who came in ninth overall.

Jagr was so close to winning another MVP, and Jagr would never win another Hart Trophy in his career. He was traded to the Washington Capitals one year later. He eventually left to play for the New York Rangers. He came in second again for the Hart Trophy in 2006, but that was the last time he was a finalist.

To make up for lost time, Jagr was playing 23 minutes per game. He was playing hard on a nightly basis. Pronger was one of the greats, and he was the last defenseman to win the Hart Trophy. Jagr was just as deserving. It’s hard to be really mad about Pronger winning, but we’d pick Jagr by a nose.