Mark Messier Leadership Award
Template:NHL award/noimage The Mark Messier Leadership Award is a National Hockey League (NHL) award that recognizes an individual as a superior leader within their sport, and as a contributing member of society. The award honors an individual who leads by positive example through on-ice performance, motivation of team members and a dedication to community activities and charitable causes. It was first awarded during 2006-07 NHL season and sponsored by Cold-fX, is given to a player selected by Mark Messier who best exemplifies leadership skills on and off the ice.
History
Sponsored by Cold-fX, the Mark Messier Leadership Award worked quite differently in its first season compared to most other trophies in the NHL. In 2006–07, five players were honored with monthly awards as selected by the NHL based on the qualification of potential recipients, while the final decision was made by Mark Messier.[1] The league did not announce monthly winners in 2007–08. At the end of the regular season, one player is chosen as the Leader of the Year. The first winner of the annual award was Chris Chelios of the Detroit Red Wings.[2]
The award was named after Mark Messier, a longtime player in the NHL. Messier is, to date, the only person to be the captain of two different teams that won the Stanley Cup, doing so with the Edmonton Oilers in 1990 and the New York Rangers in 1994.[3]
Winners
| Year | Winner | Team | Month | Monthly Recipient | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Chris Chelios[2] | Detroit Red Wings | November | Brendan Shanahan[4] | New York Rangers |
| December | Scott Niedermayer[5] | Anaheim Ducks | |||
| January | Sidney Crosby[6] | Pittsburgh Penguins | |||
| February | Vincent Lecavalier[7] | Tampa Bay Lightning | |||
| March | Roberto Luongo[8] | Vancouver Canucks | |||
| 2007–08 | Mats Sundin[9] | Toronto Maple Leafs | — | ||
References
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
fxwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Chelios named Messier Leader of the Year". TSN. 2007-05-30. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "Mark John Douglas Messier". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ^ "Shanahan wins leader award". CBC. 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
- ^ "Crosby takes starring role for week". The Sporting News. 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ^ "Mark Messier hands Sid the Kid the monthly NHL leadership award". NHL. 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
- ^ "Vincent Lecavalier Receives Mark Messier Leadership Award, Presented By COLD-FX". Center Ice Magazine. 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ^ "Luongo receives Messier leadership award". Toronto Star. 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2007-10-02..
- ^ "Sundin Receives Messier Leadership Award". Toronto Maple Leafs. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
