The hardest thing in hockey to explain to new fans is not offside. It's not icing. It's that there's a Mark Messier award, presented to the player who personifies the leadership qualities of Mark Messier, and the winner is chosen by Mark Messier. And everyone just pretends this is normal.
The NHL has too many awards; I don't think this is controversial. A full two-thirds of them aren't even presented during the NHL Awards show.
The selection process for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award is primarily controlled by Mark Messier, who compiles a list of potential candidates, selects the finalists, and ultimately chooses the winner.
Collection
[
|
...
]