Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog made NHL Awards history on Tuesday. The Avalanche forward captured both the Bill Masterton and Mark Messier Awards.
The honor marked the first time in league history that a player has captured both awards in a career, and even more impressively, in the same season.
Landeskog first captured the Mark Messier Leadership Award on Tuesday. The award, named after NHL legend Mark Messier, does not have a voting system. Messier himself chooses the winner with input from various sources.
This year, it was Landeskog who got the tremendous honor. The Avalanche captain was humble in accepting the award, as noted in comments quoted by NHL.com.
"It's a huge honor to get to win the Mark Messier Leadership Award," Landeskog said. "Obviously it goes without saying that no leader is going to sit here and take the honor and accept the award on his own. 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.
Landeskog was also the captain of Team Sweden at the 2026 Olympics in Milano-Cortina. Even with other tenured veterans like Victor Hedman, Landeskog was the no-brainer choice.
Landeskog’s perseverance rewarded after strong season with Avalanche
As for the Bill Masterton Trophy, Landeskog was caught unawares by the announcement. As the following video shows, Landeskog thought he had only won the Messier Leadership Award. What he didn’t know was that he was going to be part of a setup to announce his second award of the day.
Gabriel Landeskog was certainly not expecting a second award to appear when he sat down for this interview! 🏆
— NHL (@NHL) June 9, 2026
Watch as Landeskog's family surprises him with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the way he exemplified perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.… pic.twitter.com/AsaxY7hpgc
The Masterton Trophy goes to players who have shown perseverance and dedication to hockey, particularly overcoming extraordinary circumstances.
Landeskog embodies that definition. The Avalanche’s long-time captain overcame a horrific knee injury that would have ended just about any other player’s career. His three-year comeback culminated last season with his return during the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
This season, Landeskog played in 60 regular-season games, scoring 14 goals and 35 points. He hit the shelf twice during the regular season. The first time came after he slid into the net during a game against the Florida Panthers in early January. The second time came when he was the victim of friendly fire in a March game against the Dallas Stars.
However, that didn’t stop Landeskog from suiting up in all of the Avs’ 13 playoff games, scoring six goals and totaling 11 points.
Landeskog’s historic feat is unlikely to be matched anytime soon.
