Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog made NHL history Tuesday by becoming the first player ever to capture both the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and Mark Messier Leadership Award in a single season – or even during an entire career.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy recognizes the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey” each year. Winners also receive a $2,500 grant to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund from the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
The Mark Messier Leadership Award, which began in 2006-07, honors 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.”
The 33-year-old Landeskog endured a lengthy absence from hockey, missing three complete seasons from 2022-23 through 2024-25 while recovering from knee problems that necessitated several surgical procedures, including a cartilage transplant. His return to competitive play came 1,032 days after his last game, when he rejoined the team for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
This past season marked Landeskog’s first complete campaign since scoring 30 goals during Colorado’s 2021-22 Stanley Cup championship run. He contributed 14 goals and 21 assists across 60 regular season contests, helping the Avalanche claim the Presidents’ Trophy, before adding six goals and five assists through 13 playoff appearances.
Throughout his dozen NHL seasons, all with Colorado, Landeskog has accumulated 606 points on 262 goals and 344 assists over 798 games. He assumed the captaincy following his rookie year, becoming the league’s youngest captain in history at 19 years and 286 days old.
Speaking to NHL.com about the Mark Messier Leadership Award, Landeskog described it as “a huge honor.”
“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.”
