The
Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the
National Hockey League and
USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to
ice hockey in the
United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL. The trophy is named after
Lester Patrick (1883–1960), player and longtime coach of the
New York Rangers, who was a developer of ice hockey.