Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association after each team nominates one player in competition. It is often awarded to a player who has come back from career– or even life-threatening illness or injury.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
SportIce hockey
Awarded forNational Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.
History
First award1967–68 NHL season
Most recentConnor Ingram
Arizona Coyotes

History

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The trophy is named in honor of the late Bill Masterton, a Minnesota North Stars player who died on January 15, 1968, after sustaining an injury during a hockey game.[1] During his playing career, Masterton exhibited "to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey". A US college standout at Denver University, Masterton had briefly played in the Montreal Canadiens organization before giving up his professional dreams and taking a job as an engineer at Honeywell in Minneapolis. During his spare time, he played senior amateur hockey including for the US national team, where he was scouted by the expansion North Stars and became the club's first contracted player.[1] It was first awarded following the 1967–68 regular season. As of the end of the 2018–19 NHL season, players for the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens have won the trophy five times; players for the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers have won the trophy four times; and players for the Los Angeles Kings, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders have won the trophy three times. Players on Western Conference teams have won the award only 18 times since the award was first given in the 1960s.

Winners

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Oskar Lindblom, the winner for the 2020–21 season.
 
Bobby Ryan, the winner for the 2019–20 season.
 
Robin Lehner, the winner for the 2018–19 season.
 
Brian Boyle, the winner for the 2017–18 season.
 
Craig Anderson, the winner for the 2016–17 season.
  Player is still active
Season Winner Team Reasons for winning
1967–68 Claude Provost Montreal Canadiens "Embodied the definition of perseverance and dedication to hockey" throughout his 15-year career.[2]
1968–69 Ted Hampson Oakland Seals Had his best statistical year on a recent expansion team.[3]
1969–70 Pit Martin Chicago Black Hawks After denouncing the Hawks at the end of the 1968–69 NHL season, Martin and his team came back to finish first in the league, and Martin had 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points.[4]
1970–71 Jean Ratelle New York Rangers A 20-year veteran, he won the trophy for a "lifelong dedication to strong, clean hockey".[5]
1971–72 Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers Overcame diabetes to play in the NHL.[6]
1972–73 Lowell MacDonald Pittsburgh Penguins Overcame severe ligament and cartilage damage to his knee and scored 34 goals and 41 assists for 75 points during the 1972–73 NHL season.[7]
1973–74 Henri Richard Montreal Canadiens He won his 11th Stanley Cup the previous year, the most anyone has ever won as a player.[8]
1974–75 Don Luce Buffalo Sabres Awarded for perseverance and dedication, after a 38-point increase in scoring from the previous season.[9]
1975–76 Rod Gilbert New York Rangers Overcame a serious back injury early during his career.[10]
1976–77 Ed Westfall New York Islanders Awarded for being a good leader.[11]
1977–78 Butch Goring Los Angeles Kings Made the NHL despite his small overall stature and weight, and had consistently good seasons.[12]
1978–79 Serge Savard Montreal Canadiens Awarded for "dedication to hockey", after he won his eighth Stanley Cup in eleven seasons.[13]
1979–80 Al MacAdam Minnesota North Stars Rewarded for his perseverance after scoring a career-high 42 goals and 51 assists (93 points).[14]
1980–81 Blake Dunlop St. Louis Blues Although he was a star in junior hockey, he only broke out during the 1980–81 NHL season, after being drafted during the 1973–74 NHL season, by scoring 20 goals and 67 assists for 87 points. It was awarded for perseverance.[15]
1981–82 Glenn Resch Colorado Rockies Awarded for perseverance, as he gave his young team more confidence while he served as its goaltender.[16]
1982–83 Lanny McDonald Calgary Flames Presented for his dedication; scored 66 goals and 32 assists for 98 points.[17]
1983–84 Brad Park Detroit Red Wings Awarded for his dedication to hockey, having played for teams that qualified for the playoffs for 17 straight seasons without winning the Stanley Cup.[18]
1984–85 Anders Hedberg New York Rangers He was recognized for a dedicated career, and unlike many other winners, for a very good season (20 goals and 31 assists in 64 games played) as well.[19]
1985–86 Charlie Simmer Boston Bruins Overcame serious ligament damage to his knee to score 60 points.[20]
1986–87 Doug Jarvis Hartford Whalers Awarded during the season in which he played his 915th consecutive game, beating Garry Unger's record. He retired having improved the record to 964.[21]
1987–88 Bob Bourne Los Angeles Kings Awarded for exemplifying the qualities of dedication and perseverance.[22]
1988–89 Tim Kerr Philadelphia Flyers He returned to score 48 goals and 40 assists for 88 points in 69 games after overcoming severe knee and shoulder injuries, as well as aseptic meningitis the season before.[23]
1989–90 Gord Kluzak Boston Bruins Tried to overcome severe knee injuries, but after playing two games after his tenth knee operation, he retired.[24]
1990–91 Dave Taylor Los Angeles Kings Played his entire 17-season career with the Kings, and was honored for his dedication.[25]
1991–92 Mark Fitzpatrick New York Islanders Overcame Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome, a potentially life-threatening disease, and returned to the NHL.[26]
1992–93 Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins Missed 24 games because of Hodgkin's lymphoma, yet still won his fourth Art Ross Trophy with 160 points.[27]
1993–94 Cam Neely Boston Bruins Awarded "to recognize his valiant efforts to return to NHL action after suffering career-threatening injuries"; however, those injuries caused his retirement after the 1995–96 NHL season.[28]
1994–95 Pat LaFontaine Buffalo Sabres Overcame a series of serious head injuries.[29]
1995–96 Gary Roberts Calgary Flames Successfully recovered from possibly career-ending surgery to correct bone spurs and nerve damage.[30]
1996–97 Tony Granato San Jose Sharks Overcame possibly career-ending brain injury sustained during the previous season to score 25 goals during this season.[31]
1997–98 Jamie McLennan St. Louis Blues Overcame bacterial meningitis.[32]
1998–99 John Cullen Tampa Bay Lightning Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[33]
1999–2000 Ken Daneyko New Jersey Devils Overcame alcoholism.[34]
2000–01 Adam Graves New York Rangers Awarded for all-around dedication to hockey.[35]
2001–02 Saku Koivu Montreal Canadiens Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[36]
2002–03 Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings Eventually overcame several health problems, but played only a small part of the season.[37]
2003–04 Bryan Berard Chicago Blackhawks Overcame an injury that rendered him legally blind in one eye.[38]
2004–05 Season cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–06 Teemu Selanne Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Overcame major knee surgery to get 90 points (40 goals and 50 assists).[39]
2006–07 Phil Kessel Boston Bruins Missed 12 games because of testicular cancer mid-season but returned to play full-time.[40]
2007–08 Jason Blake Toronto Maple Leafs Despite his diagnosis with chronic myelogenous leukemia, he played all 82 games of the season.
2008–09 Steve Sullivan Nashville Predators Played 41 games this season after missing nearly two years due to a fragmented disc in his back, and a strained groin.[41]
2009–10 Jose Theodore Washington Capitals Had his best season since 2001–02 following his son Chase's death in 2009 from complications stemming from his premature birth.
2010–11 Ian Laperriere Philadelphia Flyers Diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome after being hit in the face with a puck while blocking a shot during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs; did not play again after the injury, but "continued to serve the team in several capacities."
2011–12 Max Pacioretty Montreal Canadiens Was knocked out of the 2010–11 season following a hit that left him with a concussion and a fractured vertebra. Pacioretty returned in 2011–12 to have his most productive season to date (33 goals and 32 assists).
2012–13 Josh Harding Minnesota Wild Earned a shutout in his first start after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the off-season, then missed 33 games before returning late in the season and starting five playoff games.
2013–14 Dominic Moore New York Rangers Returned to the NHL in the 2013–14 season after taking an 18-month leave of absence from the league in the spring of 2012 to care for his wife, Katie, following her diagnosis with a rare form of liver cancer. She died in January 2013.[42]
2014–15 Devan Dubnyk Minnesota Wild Led the last-place Wild to the playoffs following a mid-season trade, going 27–9–2 with a 1.78 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and five shutouts. The Wild were Dubnyk's fifth team over the previous two seasons.[43]
2015–16 Jaromir Jagr Florida Panthers At the age of 44, led the Panthers in points (66) and was second in goals (27), as the team earned its first Atlantic Division title and returned to the playoffs after a four-year absence. Jagr became the oldest player to surpass 60 points. He was commended for his work ethic and off-ice mentorship.
2016–17 Craig Anderson Ottawa Senators Helped his team advance to the conference final after leaving mid-season to be with his wife, Nicholle, who was diagnosed with cancer.[44]
2017–18 Brian Boyle New Jersey Devils Diagnosed with myeloid leukemia, a type of bone marrow cancer at the beginning of training camp. He returned to the NHL on November 1 and scored 10 goals over his first 25 games.
2018–19 Robin Lehner New York Islanders After publicly revealing struggles with alcoholism and bipolar disorder in the offseason, had a career-low 2.13 goals against average in the regular season with the Islanders, which was the lowest total since the mid-1980s.
2019–20 Bobby Ryan Ottawa Senators After publicly revealing struggles with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder, in an effort to help others with addiction issues, he returned to the NHL, scoring a hat trick in his first home game back.[45]
2020–21 Oskar Lindblom Philadelphia Flyers After being diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in the middle of the 2019–20 season, he returned in the playoffs that year and played a full season in 2020–21.[46]
2021–22 Carey Price Montreal Canadiens Publicly disclosed and sought treatment for substance abuse, and worked for months on a protracted recovery from offseason knee surgery, before returning to play five games at the end of the season.[47]
2022–23 Kris Letang Pittsburgh Penguins Suffered a stroke, the second of his career, after initially suffering from a stroke in January 2014. He returned to play 12 days later. Additionally, he missed time due to a broken foot and the death of his father, Claude, within the same month, still returning to play weeks later.[48]
2023–24 Connor Ingram Arizona Coyotes Nearly retired in 2021 due to clinical depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, before entering the NHL Player Assistance Program. Led the league in shutouts in 2023–24 and was named First Star of the Week in December, after winning four consecutive games against the past four Stanley Cup champions.[49]

See also

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References

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  • Dinger, Ralph (1932). National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book (2004 ed.). Toronto: Dan Diamond. ISBN 0-920445-84-5.
Notes
  1. ^ a b Dinger, p.201
  2. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Claude Provost". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  3. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Ted Hampson". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  4. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Pit Martin". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  5. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Jean Ratelle". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  6. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Bobby Clarke". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  7. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Lowell MacDonald". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  8. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Henri Richard". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  9. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Don Luce". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  10. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Rod Gilbert". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  11. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Ed Westfall". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-05-02. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  12. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Butch Goring". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  13. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Serge Savard". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  14. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Al MacAdam". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  15. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Blake Dunlop". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  16. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Glenn Resch". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  17. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Lanny McDonald". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  18. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Brad Park". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  19. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Anders Hedberg". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  20. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Charlie Simmer". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  21. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Doug Jarvis". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  22. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Bob Bourne". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  23. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Tim Kerr". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  24. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Gord Kluzak". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  25. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Dave Taylor". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  26. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Mark Fitzpatrick". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  27. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Mario Lemieux". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  28. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Cam Neely". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  29. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Pat LaFontaine". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  30. ^ "Gary R. Roberts". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  31. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Tony Granato". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  32. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Jamie McLellan". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  33. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: John Cullen". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  34. ^ "New Jersey Devils retire number of long-time defenceman Ken Daneyko". NHL. 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2007-08-20. [dead link]
  35. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner: Adam Graves". Legends of Hockey. Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  36. ^ Chris Stevenson (2002-04-09). "Light shines bright on Koivu, and his prospects for life". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  37. ^ "Steve Gregory Yzerman". Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  38. ^ "The visor debate: Berard says they should not be mandatory". NHL. 2005-10-18. Retrieved 2007-08-20. [dead link]
  39. ^ "Teemu Selanne: Back in a flash". CBC. 2006-05-18. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  40. ^ "Kessel resting after cancer surgery". CBC. 2006-12-12. Archived from the original on 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  41. ^ "Chelios, Sullivan, Zednik nominated for Masterton Trophy". The Sports Network. The Canadian Press. 2009-04-30. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  42. ^ "Rangers' Moore awarded Bill Masterton Trophy". NHL. 2014-06-24. Archived from the original on 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  43. ^ "Wild's Dubnyk awarded Bill Masterton Trophy". NHL.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  44. ^ "Craig Anderson of Senators wins Masterton Trophy". NHL.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  45. ^ Satriano, David (September 7, 2020). "Ryan of Senators wins Masterton Trophy for perseverance". nhl.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  46. ^ Satriano, David (June 15, 2021). "Lindblom of Flyers wins Masterton Trophy for perseverance". nhl.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  47. ^ Satriano, David (June 3, 2022). "Price of Canadiens wins Masterton Trophy for perseverance". nhl.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  48. ^ Satriano, David (June 26, 2023). "Letang of Penguins wins Masterton Trophy". NHL.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  49. ^ "Ingram wins Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship, dedication". NHL.com. May 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
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