Initiated in 1981 the Hobey Baker Award is named in honor of Hobey Baker, a hockey and football superstar and above-average student at Princeton from 1910 to 1914, who died during service in World War I. It is presented annually to the most outstanding college hockey player in the United States.

David Emma of Boston College was Hockey East’s first Hobey Baker recipient in 1991. An outstanding rookie named Paul Kariya captured the award while leading his Maine team to a NCAA title in 1993 after fellow Black Bear Scott Pellerin had collected the prestigious trophy in 1992, giving the eight-year-old league three consecutive winners.

After a four-year hiatus, Hockey East commenced its second string of winners when BU’s Chris Drury was named college hockey’s most dominant player in 1998. New Hampshire’s Jason Krog added the trophy to his case in 1999 and BC’s Mike Mottau completed Hockey East’s second trifecta (and sixth winner in 10 years) when he stepped up to the medal stand in April of 2000. Three-time finalist Gionta fell just short of making it four winners in a row for Hockey East when he finished runner-up to Michigan State’s Ryan Miller in 2001.

Each year since 2002, the top 10 finalists have been narrowed down to the final three, the “Hobey Hat Trick”. Hockey East has an active run of 13 consecutive seasons with at least one Hobey Hat Trick representative, with 16 total in that span. In 2009, Hockey East swept the Hat Trick honor with BU blueliner Matt Gilroy besting two leaguemates to claim the award. In 2014, BC’s Johnny Gaudreau became the league’s first-ever two-time Hobey Hat Trick finalist and eighth-ever winner before Jack Eichel took home the award in 2015, marking the third time Hockey East boasted back-to-back winners. In 2019, Cale Makar followed Adam Gaudette’s 2018 victory to give Hockey East its fourth back-to-back winners and the fourth Hobey in six years.