Karlsson wins 2026 Mr. TNT award

Erik Karlsson topped off his memorable season with the most prestigious award in sports.

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman won the 2026 Mr. TNT award presented by the NHL on TNT broadcast crew.

Teammate Kris Letang presented the trophy to Karlsson in a video aired on the TNT postgame show.

“Thank you to the entire TNT panel for voting for me. I appreciate it,” Karlsson said during his acceptance speech. “Don’t really know what this means, but it means a lot to me and its something I will remember forever. I will put it amongst the few other trophies that I have.

“I hope that this solidifies the bandwagon support we (Penguins) are going to get from Biz. That he has finally moved over to our team forever. That’s what I take this award as and that’s what it means to me.”

Karlsson then joined the NHL on TNT crew for an interview where he chirped analyst Paul Bissonnette some more.

The three-time Norris Trophy winner also called the trophy beautiful and said it will go nicely with his others. He added that his son claimed the trophy.

Past Mr. TNT award winners include Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin in 2025, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper in 2024 and Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand in 2023.