Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award on Tuesday to become the first player in NHL history to win both awards in a career — let alone the same season.
The Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.” The Professional Hockey Writers Association awards a $2,500 grant to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund in the name of the award’s recipient.
The Messier Award, introduced in 2006-07, goes to the player who “exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.”
Landeskog, 33, missed three seasons (2022-23 through 2024-25) due to a knee injury that required multiple surgeries, including a cartilage transplant. His absence between games lasted 1,032 days before he returned to action in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 2025-26 season was his first full one since he was a 30-goal scorer for the Avs in their 2021-22 Stanley Cup campaign. Landeskog tallied 14 goals and 21 assists over 60 games during this regular season to help Colorado win the Presidents’ Trophy, then added six goals and five assists in 13 postseason games.
In a 12-season NHL career spent entirely with Colorado, Landeskog has amassed 606 points (262 goals, 344 assists) in 798 games. He became the Avalanche’s captain after his rookie season, the youngest captain in league history at that time (19 years, 286 days).
Landeskog called the Messier Leadership Award “a huge honor” in comments given to NHL.com.
“Obviously it goes without saying that no leader is going to sit here and take the honor and accept the award on his own,” he said. “It’s because of my teammates that allowed me this opportunity, and even though I’m the one wearing the ‘C’ on my chest, it’s leadership by committee.
“There are plenty of guys in that locker room with ‘A’s on their jerseys or no letters on their jerseys. Guys bring so much to the table. We all lead in different ways.”
