On May 14, the NHL announced its winner for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. For the 2023-24 season, defenseman Jacob Trouba of the New York Rangers was named the recipient.
The award is presented “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.” Since its inception in 2006-07, there hasn’t been a single repeat winner of the award; Steven Stamkos won it in 2022-23, so that trend continues.
What makes Trouba an ideal candidate for the award is, most importantly, his community work. NHL.com lists him as an avid Hockey Fights Cancer movement contributor and a member of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a “non-profit charity dedicated to bringing life-changing opportunities to young people in need.”
Furthermore, he and his wife, Dr. Kelly Tyson-Trouba, created The Trouba Creative Expressions Arts Program to support those suffering from epilepsy, and he has even been a participant in the Rangers Youth Hockey Camp. He’s done a lot of good for his community since being named captain of the Rangers on Aug. 9, 2022.
Trouba is known as a heavy hitter on the ice, but off it, he is one of the classiest players the NHL has to offer. He has had a tremendous community involvement recently, and that should only continue in the 2024 offseason. When he has free time, he certainly uses it well.
