Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
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Template:Short description Template:Infobox sports award 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.
History
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.<ref name="Book1">Dinger, p.201</ref> 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.<ref name="Book1"/> 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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| Season | Winner | Team | Reasons for winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Montreal Canadiens | "Embodied the definition of perseverance and dedication to hockey" throughout his 15-year career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Oakland Seals | Had his best statistical year on a recent expansion team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | New York Rangers | A 20-year veteran, he won the trophy for a "lifelong dedication to strong, clean hockey".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Philadelphia Flyers | Overcame diabetes to play in the NHL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Montreal Canadiens | He won his 11th Stanley Cup the previous year, the most anyone has ever won as a player.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Buffalo Sabres | Awarded for perseverance and dedication, after a 38-point increase in scoring from the previous season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | New York Rangers | Overcame a serious back injury early during his career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | New York Islanders | Awarded for being a good leader.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Los Angeles Kings | Made the NHL despite his small overall stature and weight, and had consistently good seasons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Montreal Canadiens | Awarded for "dedication to hockey", after he won his eighth Stanley Cup in eleven seasons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Minnesota North Stars | Rewarded for his perseverance after scoring a career-high 42 goals and 51 assists (93 points).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Colorado Rockies | Awarded for perseverance, as he gave his young team more confidence while he served as its goaltender.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Calgary Flames | Presented for his dedication; scored 66 goals and 32 assists for 98 points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | New York Rangers | Recognized for a dedicated career, scoring 20 or more goals in every full season he participated in. He was also one of the first Swedish stars to play in the NHL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Boston Bruins | Overcame serious ligament damage to his knee to score 60 points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Los Angeles Kings | Awarded for exemplifying the qualities of dedication and perseverance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Boston Bruins | Tried to overcome severe knee injuries, but after playing two games after his tenth knee operation, he retired.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Los Angeles Kings | Played his entire 17-season career with the Kings, and was honored for his dedication.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | New York Islanders | Overcame Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome, a potentially life-threatening disease, and returned to the NHL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Pittsburgh Penguins | Missed 24 games because of Hodgkin's lymphoma, yet still won his fourth Art Ross Trophy with 160 points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Buffalo Sabres | Overcame a series of serious head injuries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Calgary Flames | Successfully recovered from possibly career-ending surgery to correct bone spurs and nerve damage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | San Jose Sharks | Overcame possibly career-ending brain injury sustained during the previous season to score 25 goals during this season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | St. Louis Blues | Overcame bacterial meningitis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Tampa Bay Lightning | Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | New Jersey Devils | Overcame alcoholism.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Dead link</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | New York Rangers | Awarded for all-around dedication to hockey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Montreal Canadiens | Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Detroit Red Wings | Eventually overcame several health problems, but played only a small part of the season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Chicago Blackhawks | Overcame an injury that rendered him legally blind in one eye.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Dead link</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Season cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout | ||
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | Overcame major knee surgery to get 90 points (40 goals and 50 assists).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Boston Bruins | Missed 12 games because of testicular cancer mid-season but returned to play full-time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Toronto Maple Leafs | Despite his diagnosis with chronic myelogenous leukemia, he played all 82 games of the season. |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Nashville Predators | Played 41 games this season after missing nearly two years due to a fragmented disc in his back, and a strained groin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Washington Capitals | Had his best season since Template:NHL Year following his son Chase's death in 2009 from complications stemming from his premature birth. |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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." |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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, which would prove to be his breakout season with, at the time, his most productive year. (33 goals and 32 assists). |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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. |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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. |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | Ottawa Senators | Helped his team advance to the Eastern Conference Final after leaving mid-season to be with his wife, Nicholle, who was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a form of cancer that originates in the upper part of the throat behind the nose.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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. |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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. |
| Template:NHL Year | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2020–21 | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2021–22 | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2022–23 | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2023–24 | Template:Sortname | 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2024-25 | Sean Monahan | Columbus Blue Jackets | Following the tragic death of his long-time teammate and best friend during the offseason, Monahan dedicated this season to Johnny Gaudreau. Monahan had signed with Columbus on July 1, 2024 in order to play with him again, the two having previously played together for nine seasons with the Calgary Flames from 2013 to 2022. On the evening of August 29, 2024, Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were struck and killed by a drunk driver while they were cycling in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. Monahan was presented the trophy for the effect his perseverance, dedication, and role in remembering Johnny had on the team and the city amidst such a tragedy. Johnny's widow, Meredith Gaudreau, surprised him with the award at his home outside of Toronto.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
See also
References
- Notes