The NHL® fandom has voted and anointed their next Ultimate MVP. After two long rounds of public votes, the contestants worked tirelessly to tap into their fan base and garner as much support as possible to make their dreams come to life. Upper Deck is proud to announce Darrin Quigley as the 2023-24 Ultimate MVP Winner!

When Darrin received the exciting news, he said:

I haven’t wiped the smile off my face since my last refresh of the website when it showed that I had won. Having the opportunity to attend an NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Game will be an incredible experience.

Darrin’s fans will be able to unwrap his own official trading card in the upcoming 2024-25 MVP product that’s hitting store shelves later this year!

Growing up playing hockey you always envision yourself playing in the Stanley Cup Finals and what the back of your own Hockey Card would look like. Now all these years later, I will be able to say, that I have my own Upper Deck trading card — just saying that out loud is an amazing feeling. Maybe my kids will think I am cool after all?

Why Darrin Quigley Deserves The Title Of The Ultimate MVP

Darrin Quigley truly exemplifies what the Ultimate MVP stands for, which is a passionate fan who uses their love for the game to help better their local community. Through the years, Darrin has amassed a huge memorabilia collection that has over 100 autographed jerseys and over 100 signed pucks that he proudly displays. Beyond his collection, Darrin has coached Minor Hockey over the years and carried the iconic Leafs name. More importantly, Darrin has organized an annual hockey tournament in support of the IWK Children’s Hospital in Halifax, which raised an impressive $30,000 in the last year alone!

When I first found out about the contest, I thought it would be a pretty cool experience to be a part of – not initially thinking for a moment that I could win it all. Having the community focus as part of the contest was a deciding factor for me to enter, knowing that just being a part of the contest should raise more awareness for the incredible work the IWK Foundation does for our IWK Women and Childrens Hospital here in Halifax. Volunteering and fundraising for this organization has been a part of my life for a number of years now so being able to connect my love for the game of hockey and the community into one contest, was a very easy decision for me.

Darrin’s Journey To The Top

When the competition started, Darrin revealed that his initial strategy was to see who was going to be the toughest competition. Once week two hit, the competition started to heat up and he called in reinforcements (aka his family and friends). Each day, a new distribution list was created and a new social media group was tagged asking for support. Darrin even posted Instagram stories for the very first time! Regardless of being the lead in votes, Darrin believes that just like in hockey, no lead is safe. So he continued to work tirelessly to share his message far and wide. 

To have that many people cheering for you and coming together to help was truly a humbling experience. Community togetherness at its finest. We see it on TV wherever the Maple Leafs play that Leafs Nation is everywhere and this contest proved that as votes poured in from all over.

Congratulations once again to Darrin Quigley as the 2023-24 Ultimate MVP! Be on the lookout for his trading cards later this year and his journey to the Stanley Cup Playoffs game!