Avalanche’s Cale Makar wins 2024-25 Norris Trophy

Scott Maxwell
Scott Maxwell(scotmaxw)
Jun 11, 2025, 11:40 EDT
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar
Credit: Mar 11, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) skates in the Minnesota Wild zone in the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The NHL has announced that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has won the 2024-25 James Norris Memorial Trophy.

The Norris Trophy is awarded “to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.” The award is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Makar was presented the award by his friends and family during a round of golf.

Makar was the clear favourite among voters, capturing 176 of the 191 first-place votes, with 13 of the other 15 votes placing him in second, and the remaining two placing him third. He finished 595 points ahead of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski for first place.

This is the second time Makar has won the Norris Trophy, also doing so in the 2021-22 season. He becomes the 13th defenseman to win the award multiple times, and is the second active player to do so, the other being Erik Karlsson. It’s also the fifth straight season that he’s been a finalist for the award. He also has a Calder Memorial Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Stanley Cup to his name in his seven-season NHL career.

Makar wins the award after leading all blueliners in scoring during the 2024-25 season with 30 goals and 62 assists for 92 points in 80 games, one of three defensemen to finish the season scoring above a point-per-game pace.

Makar hit the 90-point mark for the second time in his career, and it’s just the fifth time that a defenseman has done so since 1994, the other four instances occurring in the last five years. He also was the first defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since Mike Green did with the Washington Capitals in 2008-09, and is just the second to do so since 1993.

However, Makar’s season did not end the way it did the previous time he won the Norris Trophy, when he won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2022, as the Avalanche were eliminated in the first round in seven games by the Dallas Stars.

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