All Canadian sportsbooks should have odds for the Art Ross Trophy, Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, and other annual NHL awards (including Hart Trophy odds). You can bet in these markets all year round at odds that are normally best before the season starts but change constantly throughout.
Unlike the Hart Memorial Trophy, there’s no voting for these two awards. Stats dictate the winners of the league’s top points getter and top goalscorer awards, respectively. See below for the latest Art Ross and Rocket Richard odds direct from Canadian online sportsbooks.
NHL Art Ross odds, Rocket Richard odds
Check the Art Ross Trophy odds and Maurice Richard Trophy odds from top Canadian sportsbooks. Click on the odds for any player to go directly to the online sportsbook and start filling in your betting slips.
Art Ross, Rocket Richard trends
If there’s one trend among Art Ross or Rocket Richard Trophy winners, it’s that one player tends to dominate for a period of time.
Connor McDavid won three of the five Art Ross Trophies from 2017-2021. While the trophy did change hands almost every year throughout the 2000s, Martin St. Louis and Sidney Crosby won multiple times.
Before that, Jaromir Jagr won four in a row and five in seven years, Mario Lemieux won two in a row twice and five in eight years, and Wayne Gretzky won seven in a row and 10 in 14 years.
In the meantime, Alexander Ovechkin has won nine of the past 14 Rocket Richard Trophies. That said, he’s 35 now, and since Auston Matthews won it last season, this could be the beginning of his opportunity to dominate this particular award.
The fact Ovechkin won nine of the past 14 Rocket Richard Trophies, but only one Art Ross Trophy over that time period shows us something else: the importance of assists to the Art Ross winner. While he’s scored as many as 65 goals in a season, the magic number for winning a Rocket Richard Trophy seems to hover around 50 goals.
In the meantime, the race to the Art Ross seems to be a race to around 100 or 110 points. In winning his three Art Ross Trophies, McDavid averaged close to 70 assists per season. This, and the fact he has averaged just 35 goals per season, tells us assists are what has taken McDavid, and most Art Ross winners, over the top.
Past winners of Rocket Richard, Art Ross Trophies
Here’s a look at recent Maurice Richard Trophy winners:
| Season | Player | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Auston Matthews | 41 |
| 2019-20 | Alexander Ovechkin / David Pastrnak | 48 |
| 2018-19 | Alexander Ovechkin | 51 |
| 2017-18 | Alexander Ovechkin | 49 |
| 2016-17 | Sidney Crosby | 44 |
| 2015-16 | Alexander Ovechkin | 50 |
| 2014-15 | Alexander Ovechkin | 53 |
| 2013-14 | Alexander Ovechkin | 51 |
| 2012-13 | Alexander Ovechkin | 32 |
| 2011-12 | Steven Stamkos | 60 |
Here’s a look at recent Art Ross Trophy winners:
| Season | Player | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Connor McDavid | 105 |
| 2019-20 | Leon Draisaitl | 110 |
| 2018-19 | Nikita Kucherov | 128 |
| 2017-18 | Connor McDavid | 108 |
| 2016-17 | Connor McDavid | 100 |
| 2015-16 | Patrick Kane | 106 |
| 2014-15 | Jamie Benn | 87 |
| 2013-14 | Sidney Crosby | 104 |
| 2012-13 | Martin St. Louis | 60 |
| 2011-12 | Evgeni Malkin | 109 |
How NHL Art Ross & Maurice Richard odds work
The NHL’s Art Ross Trophy and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy betting markets are futures markets. As such, betting in these markets is like betting on any other futures. Odds are available all year long, before the season and during. You can place a bet at any time.
While the odds will change, you lock in the currently posted odds when you place your bet. That means winners will get paid at those odds, no matter how much they change. It also means the odds are generally longer the earlier you get a bet down and shorter on the true Art Ross and Rocket Richard contenders as the season rolls on.
As with most futures odds markets, live odds that you’ll find at FanDuel Sportsbook Canada or PointsBet Sportsbook Canada, for example, are usually positive for most players, until a true favourite emerges.
For example, the odds on Connor McDavid winning the Art Ross started at around +275 at the start of the season. He was the favourite, but the odds were still positive, meaning that if you bet $100 on McDavid to win, you stood to win $275, plus your bet back.
By early February, McDavid was running away with the NHL points lead and the odds were down to -118, which meant you had to bet $118 to stand to win $100, plus your bet back. Ultimately, McDavid did win, meaning both bets paid. However, those who bet on McDavid early reaped a much larger reward while taking less of a risk.
Injuries are a part of the game and a part of betting on it. Even a catastrophic injury to the player you bet on won’t void your bet. The only way an Art Ross Trophy or Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy bet might be cancelled or voided is if the season gets cancelled. That said, some sportsbooks have been known to return certain futures bets should disaster strike for a true favourite.
More NHL futures odds
You can also bet in other NHL futures markets, including:
- Hart Trophy odds (MVP)
- Vezina Trophy (Goalkeeper)
- James Norris Memorial Trophy (defenseman)
- Frank J. Selke Trophy (defensive forward)
- NHL team win totals
- Teams to make the playoffs
- Teams to win a division
- Teams to win a conference
- Odds to win the Stanley Cup
Art Ross, Rocket Richard Trophy FAQ
When were the NHL trophies named?
The NHL began awarding the Art Ross Trophy to the player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season in the 1947-48 season. The award is named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Bruins GM and coach Arthur Howey “Art” Ross. It has never been known by any other name. The NHL has only been handing out the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy to the league’s top goal scorer since 1999. It is named in honour of Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice “Rocket” Richard. Before that, the league’s top goal scorer was not recognized with a trophy.
Which player has won the most Art Ross or Rocket Richard awards?
Alexander Ovechkin has won a record nine Rocket Richard Trophies. Four others (Pavel Bure, Jarome Iginla, Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby) have won it twice. Wayne Gretzky has won the Art Ross trophy a record 10 times, including seven in a row. Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux have each won six Art Ross Trophies.
Did Gretzky win every Art Ross and Rocket Richard Trophy every year?
There wasn’t really a Rocket Richard Trophy in Wayne Gretzky’s heyday, and he never won one. He did win the Art Ross trophy 10 times in a 20-year career. That included seven in a row from the 1980–81 season through the 1986–87 season and another two in a row in the 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons.
Who has had the best and worst goal or total points years?
The lockout-shortened 2012-13 NHL season saw Alexander Ovechkin win the Rocket Richard Trophy with just 32 goals, the fewest ever. Martin St. Louis won the Art Ross trophy the same year and scored just 60 points. That was the lowest Art Ross totals ever posted, even lower than the 61 points Elmer Lach notched in the 1947-48 season to win the first-ever Art Ross Trophy.
Ovechkin also scored 65 goals to win the Rocket Richard Trophy in the 2007-08 season. Wayne Gretzky scored 92 goals in the 1981-82 season, the record for most goals in a single NHL season. Gretzky had 215 total points in the 1985-86 season, which is also a record, which helped him win the Art Ross that year.
Is it ever good to bet on a repeat winner?
You bet it is. As outlined above, the one trend among Art Ross or Rocket Richard Trophy winners is repeat winners. Connor McDavid has won three of the past five Art Ross Trophies. Martin St. Louis and Sidney Crosby have won multiple times.
Before that, Jaromir Jagr won four in a row and five in seven years, Mario Lemieux won two in a row twice and five in eight years, and Wayne Gretzky won seven in a row and 10 in 14 years. Plus, Alexander Ovechkin has won nine of 14 Rocket Richard Trophies. Repeat winners in these categories are the norm.
When is the best time to bet Art Ross or Rocket Richard futures?
As we also outlined above, the odds are almost always longer the earlier you get a bet down and shorter as the season rolls on. Odds are positive for every player, until a true favourite emerges late in the season. For example, you could get Connor McDavid to win the Art Ross at +275 at the start of the season, but the odds were down to -118 when he was leading the points race late in the season. That means betting on the true favourites early will almost always get you a much larger reward with reduced risk compared to betting late.