Three Stars

In ice hockey, the three stars of a match are the three best players as chosen by a third party, with the first star considered the best of the three players, akin to the man of the match in other sports. Usually, the top point scorers or outstanding goaltenders are designated the three stars, but other players may be considered by affecting the game by other means (e.g. consistent physical play, many steals, blocked shots, etc.).

Usage
Three stars were first awarded in the 1936–37 NHL season as a means for Imperial Oil (Hockey Night in Canada's then new principal sponsor) to advertise its “Three Star” brand of gasoline. In addition, it was seen as a way to promote the game's best stars of the time. After the sponsorship ended in 1976, the tradition remained on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's flagship hockey show.

The usage of three stars has since expanded greatly. All professional hockey leagues in North America award three stars, and many amateur and collegiate leagues do as well. The National Hockey League awards three stars during every game, in both the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs, and not just limited to those shown on HNIC. Media representatives of the home team make the selections. It also awards a nightly set of three stars, which are the three best players out of all who played a game in the league on a given night. Also, in the 2007–08 NHL season, the previous awards of “Offensive Player of the Week” and “Defensive Player of the Week” were replaced by the “Three Stars of the Week”, while the similar awards of “Offensive Player of the Month” and “Defensive Player of the Month” were replaced by the “Three Stars of the Month”.

The NHL also has a system which awards points to its nightly three stars: 30 points to the first star, 20 points to the second, and 10 to the third. It keeps a running tally of the amount of points each player has been awarded. NHL teams may use these standings; for example, the Vancouver Canucks award a sum to a charity chosen its player who earned the highest number of points that month. The Molson Cup is also awarded to the top point-earner of the year of each Canadian team.

Despite its popularity in North America, three stars are generally not awarded during international play, such as at the Winter Olympic Games. The IIHF World Championships and World Junior Championships instead issue awards such as "Best Player" for each team per game, or the overall best player per position over the course of the tournament.

Unusual selections
The three star selections for a game, being a “fun” statistic, do not ordinarily have an impact on any other aspect of the game. As such, there have been instances in which the three stars have been awarded in an unexpected way, often to recognize a single player's accomplishments.


 * On March 23, 1944, Maurice “the Rocket” Richard scored all five goals for the Montréal Canadiens in a 5–1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs en route to a Stanley Cup victory and was awarded all three stars for his efforts.
 * On April 15, 1999, New York Ranger Wayne Gretzky was the only player awarded a star in his last game in Canada, as he would retire after the following game in New York.
 * On October 11, 2007, Mats Sundin broke two Toronto Maple Leafs club records by scoring his 390th goal and his 917th point as a Leaf to best Darryl Sittler, who had held the previous club records of 389 goals and 916 points. Subsequently, the three stars of the game were announced as “Sundin, Sundin, and Sundin”.
 * On April 5, 2008 in the final game of the season between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, the Flames won handily over the Canucks 7-1. Although Canuck Trevor Linden did not earn a point, nor did he play well enough to receive a star in a regular game, he was awarded the game's first star as it was rumoured it would be the final game of his long career.
 * On January 18, 2009, in a game between the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche, Avalanche forwards Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk both scored their 300th career goals. After Peter Budaj was announced as the third star, it was declared that there would be no second star, to make way for the two first stars of the game, Smyth and Hejduk.