Unlike other professional sports, being the biggest star on the championship team doesn’t necessarily guarantee you the title of league MVP. In fact, the winner this year was from a team that wasn’t in the Stanley Cup Finals. Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry earned the title of NHL MVP and took home the Hart Trophy. He had 50 goals during the season.

According to ESPN, Perry expressed his excitement for the award and said, “You didn’t know what to expect coming in, and then all of a sudden you hear your name and you’re like, ‘Oh.’ It surprised me.” He later added that he in no way sees this event as the pinnacle of his career. He explained, “You always want to build on the year before and I think it’s a steady increase. Hopefully it keeps increasing.”

The winner is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, and Perry ended up with 67 out of 127 first-place votes. Second in the voting was Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin, followed by Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis.

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