Frank J. Selke Trophy—Best Defensive Forward

In 1977, the NHL Board of Governors decided to create an award recognizing forwards that excelled in the defensive aspects of the game. The govenors decided that the award would honour Frank J. Selke, a former executive with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, and one of the great architects of NHL championship teams.

Frank Selke was committed to building NHL hockey for sixty years, and for his efforts was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960. Working closely with Conn Smythe, the two were instrumental in building Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931, and Selke watched the Leafs win three Stanley Cups while in their employ. But a falling out with Smythe during the Second World War resulted in Selke joining the Canadiens in 1946, and he was general manager for six more championships in Montreal. 

Selke was one of the game's greatest architects. During his professional career, he helped build a string of cup-winning teams. In his 34 seasons with Toronto and Montreal, he won a total of 13 Stanley Cups and, not including his winning years, made it to 11 championships. 

The winner of the Selke Trophy is selected in a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the end of the regular season and was first awarded in 1977-78 to Bob Gainey of the Montreal Canadiens. The winner of the trophy receives $10,000 and the runners up $6,000 and $4,000.

To date, no Edmonton Oiler has won the Selke Trophy. To long-time Oiler fans, this is an outright scandal considering that during the 1980s and into the 1990s, the Oilers' roster boasted some of the best defensive forwards to ever play the game. There are few awards that have yet to bear the name of an Edmonton player. The fact that no Edmonton Oiler has yet to win the Selke only provides an opportunity for another Oiler first. 

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