- Gabriel Landeskog won both the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award
- He’s the first player in NHL history to take both honors in the same season
- Read below for the family surprise and the three-year road back
Gabriel Landeskog got the kind of night that makes three years of rehab worth it.
The Avalanche captain won both the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award for 2025-26, the league announced Tuesday. No player had ever won both in the same season. Landeskog is the first to do it.
The Masterton goes to the player who best shows perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Good luck finding a cleaner fit.
Landeskog hadn’t played a regular-season game since March 10, 2022 before this year’s opener. Four knee surgeries filled the gap between those two dates.
He became the first NHL player to come back after cartilage replacement surgery in his knee. Most guys never make it back from that operation at all.
The Avs didn’t tip him off about the Masterton. He sat down at home thinking he was there to talk about the Messier Award, then his wife and three kids walked in carrying the second trophy.
Watch the moment his family sprung it on him:
The Messier Award rewards leadership on and off the ice. Landeskog wore the “C” through every surgery and every setback, so that one tracks too.
On the ice he put up 35 points in 60 regular-season games, then added 11 more across 13 playoff games. Solid numbers for a guy who four years ago wasn’t sure he’d skate again.
He captained Colorado to the 2022 Cup before the knee gave out, and he’s talked openly about the road back. Now he has two more trophies to show for the climb.
