7:51 PM: Lindgren spoke after the first period and said (MSG):

• “It means a lot, it’s a huge honor for me. What the award represents and the people who’ve won it before me, it’s really special. I couldn’t have been more excited.”
• “I had no idea it was going to happen, I was just sitting there and heard my name called and you get goosebumps and chills when you hear that and the fans vote on it and it means a lot to me. I just try to go out there and work hard every night and it means a lot that they appreciate it.”

7:09 PM: Ryan Lindgren is the winner of the 2023 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.

The award is presented annually to the Ranger who, as chosen by the fans, “goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

Conor McDonald, in announcing Lindgren as the winner, called him the “heart and soul of this building.”

From the Rangers:

• Lindgren is the third defenseman who has won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award since it was first presented in 1987-88 (Adam Fox – 2019-20, Brian Leetch – 1996-97). Lindgren has skated in 61 games for the Rangers this season, recording a career-high in assists (17) and points (18) while tallying a team-high plus-29 rating.
• In addition, Lindgren has blocked 91 shots, the fifth most on the Blueshirts and averages 2:06 minutes of shorthanded time on ice per game, the second most on the club. On November 30 at Ottawa, Lindgren recorded a career-high three-assist/point game and at the time became the fifth different Rangers defensemen since 2015-16 to record a three-assist game (Fox, McDonagh, Pionk, Skjei).
• In the October 23 contest against Columbus, Lindgren skated in his 200^th career game.

Adam Rotter: Lindgren is the perfect pick for this and he wins the award that the player he plays so much like, Dan Girardi, never won. He’s such an important player for the Rangers as we saw last year in the playoffs when he was out and throughout the stretch of this season when he was out.