Since 1968, the NHL has annually awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy to the "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." The Award is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association and the winner gets $2,500 donated to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund in his name.
It's a great honour to win the award and it's made for some of the best narratives in NHL history. Like when Pittsburgh Penguin great Mario Lemieux won the Trophy in 1993 after he overcame Hodgkin's Lymphoma and totaled 160 points in just 60 games.
Saku Koivu of the Montreal Canadiens won in 2002 after he too over came Lymphoma.
Josh Harding won the award two seasons ago after playing through a season in which he was diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis.
It's the feel-good moment of the NHL Awards show every summer.
But before the trophy is given out, there's always that awkward feeling of uncertainty as to which finalist "deserves" the hardware. In 2009, Richard Zednik didn't win in a season when he made his comeback after losing 5 pints of blood (and almost his life) the previous season in an on ice almost-tragedy. But nobody was saying Steve Sullivan didn't deserve the award after coming back from a major back injury that shelved him for two seasons.
Many said Daymond Langkow deserved the award in 2011, the season he came back after his life-threatening neck injury when he was hit in the back of the neck by a teammate's shot. But when Ian Laperriere won for his dedication off the ice (his post-concussion syndrome and eye injury from blocking a shot the season before officially ended his career) nobody could disagree.
So the Masterton is always one of the toughest trophies to predict the winner.
The 2015 season didn't even start yet but we, unfortunately, already have several candidates who seem they can win the Masterson.
When tragedies in hockey occur, most fans are really hit hard by them. Hockey fans understand the brotherhood that although we may cheer for different teams, we're all fans of the sport and we come together when these terrible things happen.
We all remember the summer back in 2011 when multiple tragedies struck the hockey community. There were multiple deaths to enforcers earlier in the summer that devastated many fans. Fan favourites such as Wade Belak, Rick Rypien, and Derek Boogaard went too early and we all felt the tragic deaths. And how could we forget that plane crash that (briefly) saw the end of the KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, as many hockey players (including several former NHLers) passed that day.
Well this past Summer we had a few more tragedies for NHL players and once again, fans have been saddened to hear the terrible news of these players.
First we'll start with one that stole the spotlight during these past NHL playoffs.
Forward Martin St. Louis was traded to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline and was on board for their exciting playoff run.
When the Rangers went down 3 games to 1 against their Division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, tragedy struck the St. Louis family as his mother, France, passed away. Instead of taking time off to mourn the loss, St. Louis kept playing and with this added inspiration for him and his teammates, the Rangers came back against the Penguins and rode the wave all the way until the Stanley Cup Final before falling to Los Angeles in 5 games. During that stretch, St. Louis scored one of the most emotional goals of the season, on Mother's Day which landed a few days after the funeral.
MARTIN ST. LOUIS' CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
A death in the family usually bodes well for players' chances at the Masterton. However, those instances were usually tragic deaths of younger people. Jose Theodore won the award in 2010 after his two month old son, Chase, died due to complications from premature birth. Last year, St. Louis' teammate Dominic Moore won the award after his 18 month absence as he was caring for his wife, Katie, during her battle with liver cancer. Katie died in January of 2013 and Moore played last season in New York.
But still, his mother passed of a heart attack at 63 and it was terribly tragic for him.
Another thing St. Louis has going for him is his career. St. Louis' career in and of itself could be enough to win the Masterton.
Martin St. Louis' career is the definition of perseverance. His size (a mere 5 ft. 8 in.) left NHL clubs disinterested in the talented college athlete and he somehow went undrafted. He kept working on his game and although he'll be listed as one of the smallest players in NHL history, he's had quite the prolific career. He has 6 all star game appearances, was the Leading Scorer twice, the MVP (both according to players and the writers in '04), and a Stanley Cup Champion. And let's just say the Masterton isn't only awarded to injury comebacks or sad stories. Until the '90's the majority of Masterton winners were just older players winning the award just because they were old players and they "exemplified the qualities of dedication and perseverance."
Martin St. Louis makes a strong case.
Up next we have Cory Sarich who almost lost his life on July 22nd. He was in the middle of training during the offseason and was on a bike ride up in British Columbia. A Ford F-350 truck turned made a left turn without signaling from the opposite direction and Sarich's bike swerved right before he collided right into the truck. However, he ended up going underneath the truck and the right rear tire ran over his torso, with his chest against the ground.
He broke 5 vertebra, sustained massive road rash, burned his wrist on the tailpipe, and suffered a deal head wound. He was lucky to be alive.
The 36 year old defenceman just finished the season with Colorado and is now a free agent. He was hopeful a team would contact him soon for an offer. But that offer will never come.
I highly suggest reading the story on the Denver Post Website. It's unreal.
CORY SARICH'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
Firstly, you don't actually have to play in the season in order to win the Masterton. In 2011, Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers won the trophy even though he didn't play. The season before, he suffered a gruesome head injury by blocking a shot and had to end his career from post-concussion syndrome and because of complications with his eye injury. But they gave it to him anyway because he sacrificed himself for the game and because "he continued to serve the team in several capacities."
If Sarich sticks around hockey as well, it at least puts him in the ball park to win the trophy.
This one's a stretch but I think Steve Moore can be a candidate for the award too.
Steve Moore is a part of one of the NHL's most infamous dirty play and we finally saw the controversy come to an end a couple of weeks ago.
For those who don't know what I'm referring to, in a 2004 game between the Canucks and the Avalanche, Todd Bertuzzi sucker punched Steve Moore and ended his career. The incident will live on in infamy but at least the legal issues have finally been settled. The two parties reached an out of court settlement and the trial will not proceed.
STEVE MOORE'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
Honestly, he doesn't have much of a case. But since this incident has once again taken centre stage (so be it, briefly) I thought why not build a case for him.
Moore's story was one of tragedy. A promising career ending so quickly. His quote is a classic. "I lost my entire career in my rookie year." No need to say more.
But ever since that, he started The Steve Moore Foundation, a foundation that "focuses on the prevention and treatment of concussion and similar serious head and neck injuries in sport." He's taken his own struggles and decided to try to help others and raise awareness. This kind of work is exactly what the Masterton is all about.
It's a shame he'll never get legitimately considered.
For more information, visit http://www.stevemoorefoundation.org
This past season, tragedy almost struck inside of an NHL arena when Dallas forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench and had to be revived. I wrote about it and posted the video in the March review this past season and it's worth a refresher.
Peverley was previously working on his "a-fib" heart condition for several years now but this past season was the first significant event that occurred from it. He missed the rest of the season and is working on returning this year although he reportedly still has "a few more benchmarks to pass" before returning to the league.
RICH PEVERLEY'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
They may as well give him the trophy already.
Peverley is a great player and this on-ice tragedy hit everyone pretty hard. He's a likable athlete and has been working hard to get back on the ice and whether he does it this season or not, it's pretty likely they give it to him.
Two things working against him, however, are the other candidates and history.
While his story and potential comeback add up to Masterton success, he's not the first player to go through this kind of event. Jiri Fischer of the Detroit Red Wings had his heart stop on the bench in 2005. He never got back to the ice but took up a job with the Red Wings organization. However, he never received the Masterton.
But the NHL even let Peverley present the trophy this past season at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas. This is probably the best bet.
Also in the March review I posted earlier, was this story of Calgary forward Matt Stajan. Stajan left his team for a few weeks this past season after his newborn passed away. The team offered him to take the rest of the season off but he couldn't stay away from the sport he loved and finished the season in Calgary.
MATT STAJAN'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
I'll start out by saying I have absolutely 0 idea why he wasn't even a nominee this past season. Utterly mind-boggling.
Since it happened this past season, I'm not sure he can still qualify for it next year but I hope he does. He went through a very tough time this past season and to be able to keep playing afterwards is truly motivational.
Keaton Ellerby of the Winnipeg Jets was hit with tragedy this past summer when it turned out that the missing 5 year old boy and his grandparents in Calgary were close relatives. They were his Uncle and Aunt.
After a couple of weeks of searching, the official report changed from "Missing Persons" to one of "Homicidal Investions." They charged a man with 2 counts of first degree murder and 1 count of second degree murder.
The bodies haven't been found yet.
KEATON ELLERBY'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
Like I wrote earlier with Martin St. Louis' case, sudden death in the family has led to 2 different Masterton winners. However, with St. Louis and Stajan possibly in the mix, it's hard to tell who would win out. The fact that this was a case of murder though makes things significantly more depressing and could boost Elllerby's chances in the race.
Just a public service announcement:
I know writing about tragedies in terms of value in order to decide who wins some stupid trophy may not seem like the most noble thing to do. But focus for a second not on the tragedy but rather on the players trying to use their own personal tragedies as fuel on the ice as they turn to hockey to bring happiness back into not only their lives, but to the lives of others around them. That's the point of the Masterton Trophy. To award such behavior. And all these men are rather deserving.
It's a great honour to win the award and it's made for some of the best narratives in NHL history. Like when Pittsburgh Penguin great Mario Lemieux won the Trophy in 1993 after he overcame Hodgkin's Lymphoma and totaled 160 points in just 60 games.
Saku Koivu of the Montreal Canadiens won in 2002 after he too over came Lymphoma.
Josh Harding won the award two seasons ago after playing through a season in which he was diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis.
 |
| Bryan Berard with the Masterton in 2004, receiving it for continuing his career after a tragic eye injury |
It's the feel-good moment of the NHL Awards show every summer.
But before the trophy is given out, there's always that awkward feeling of uncertainty as to which finalist "deserves" the hardware. In 2009, Richard Zednik didn't win in a season when he made his comeback after losing 5 pints of blood (and almost his life) the previous season in an on ice almost-tragedy. But nobody was saying Steve Sullivan didn't deserve the award after coming back from a major back injury that shelved him for two seasons.
Many said Daymond Langkow deserved the award in 2011, the season he came back after his life-threatening neck injury when he was hit in the back of the neck by a teammate's shot. But when Ian Laperriere won for his dedication off the ice (his post-concussion syndrome and eye injury from blocking a shot the season before officially ended his career) nobody could disagree.
So the Masterton is always one of the toughest trophies to predict the winner.
The 2015 season didn't even start yet but we, unfortunately, already have several candidates who seem they can win the Masterson.
When tragedies in hockey occur, most fans are really hit hard by them. Hockey fans understand the brotherhood that although we may cheer for different teams, we're all fans of the sport and we come together when these terrible things happen.
We all remember the summer back in 2011 when multiple tragedies struck the hockey community. There were multiple deaths to enforcers earlier in the summer that devastated many fans. Fan favourites such as Wade Belak, Rick Rypien, and Derek Boogaard went too early and we all felt the tragic deaths. And how could we forget that plane crash that (briefly) saw the end of the KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, as many hockey players (including several former NHLers) passed that day.
Well this past Summer we had a few more tragedies for NHL players and once again, fans have been saddened to hear the terrible news of these players.
First we'll start with one that stole the spotlight during these past NHL playoffs.
Forward Martin St. Louis was traded to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline and was on board for their exciting playoff run.
When the Rangers went down 3 games to 1 against their Division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, tragedy struck the St. Louis family as his mother, France, passed away. Instead of taking time off to mourn the loss, St. Louis kept playing and with this added inspiration for him and his teammates, the Rangers came back against the Penguins and rode the wave all the way until the Stanley Cup Final before falling to Los Angeles in 5 games. During that stretch, St. Louis scored one of the most emotional goals of the season, on Mother's Day which landed a few days after the funeral.
MARTIN ST. LOUIS' CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
A death in the family usually bodes well for players' chances at the Masterton. However, those instances were usually tragic deaths of younger people. Jose Theodore won the award in 2010 after his two month old son, Chase, died due to complications from premature birth. Last year, St. Louis' teammate Dominic Moore won the award after his 18 month absence as he was caring for his wife, Katie, during her battle with liver cancer. Katie died in January of 2013 and Moore played last season in New York.
But still, his mother passed of a heart attack at 63 and it was terribly tragic for him.
Another thing St. Louis has going for him is his career. St. Louis' career in and of itself could be enough to win the Masterton.
Martin St. Louis' career is the definition of perseverance. His size (a mere 5 ft. 8 in.) left NHL clubs disinterested in the talented college athlete and he somehow went undrafted. He kept working on his game and although he'll be listed as one of the smallest players in NHL history, he's had quite the prolific career. He has 6 all star game appearances, was the Leading Scorer twice, the MVP (both according to players and the writers in '04), and a Stanley Cup Champion. And let's just say the Masterton isn't only awarded to injury comebacks or sad stories. Until the '90's the majority of Masterton winners were just older players winning the award just because they were old players and they "exemplified the qualities of dedication and perseverance."
Martin St. Louis makes a strong case.
 |
| Cory Sarich was a part of the 2004 Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning |
Up next we have Cory Sarich who almost lost his life on July 22nd. He was in the middle of training during the offseason and was on a bike ride up in British Columbia. A Ford F-350 truck turned made a left turn without signaling from the opposite direction and Sarich's bike swerved right before he collided right into the truck. However, he ended up going underneath the truck and the right rear tire ran over his torso, with his chest against the ground.
He broke 5 vertebra, sustained massive road rash, burned his wrist on the tailpipe, and suffered a deal head wound. He was lucky to be alive.
The 36 year old defenceman just finished the season with Colorado and is now a free agent. He was hopeful a team would contact him soon for an offer. But that offer will never come.
I highly suggest reading the story on the Denver Post Website. It's unreal.
CORY SARICH'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
Firstly, you don't actually have to play in the season in order to win the Masterton. In 2011, Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers won the trophy even though he didn't play. The season before, he suffered a gruesome head injury by blocking a shot and had to end his career from post-concussion syndrome and because of complications with his eye injury. But they gave it to him anyway because he sacrificed himself for the game and because "he continued to serve the team in several capacities."
If Sarich sticks around hockey as well, it at least puts him in the ball park to win the trophy.
This one's a stretch but I think Steve Moore can be a candidate for the award too.
Steve Moore is a part of one of the NHL's most infamous dirty play and we finally saw the controversy come to an end a couple of weeks ago.
For those who don't know what I'm referring to, in a 2004 game between the Canucks and the Avalanche, Todd Bertuzzi sucker punched Steve Moore and ended his career. The incident will live on in infamy but at least the legal issues have finally been settled. The two parties reached an out of court settlement and the trial will not proceed.
STEVE MOORE'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
Honestly, he doesn't have much of a case. But since this incident has once again taken centre stage (so be it, briefly) I thought why not build a case for him.
Moore's story was one of tragedy. A promising career ending so quickly. His quote is a classic. "I lost my entire career in my rookie year." No need to say more.
But ever since that, he started The Steve Moore Foundation, a foundation that "focuses on the prevention and treatment of concussion and similar serious head and neck injuries in sport." He's taken his own struggles and decided to try to help others and raise awareness. This kind of work is exactly what the Masterton is all about.
It's a shame he'll never get legitimately considered.
For more information, visit http://www.stevemoorefoundation.org
This past season, tragedy almost struck inside of an NHL arena when Dallas forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench and had to be revived. I wrote about it and posted the video in the March review this past season and it's worth a refresher.
Peverley was previously working on his "a-fib" heart condition for several years now but this past season was the first significant event that occurred from it. He missed the rest of the season and is working on returning this year although he reportedly still has "a few more benchmarks to pass" before returning to the league.
RICH PEVERLEY'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
They may as well give him the trophy already.
Peverley is a great player and this on-ice tragedy hit everyone pretty hard. He's a likable athlete and has been working hard to get back on the ice and whether he does it this season or not, it's pretty likely they give it to him.
Two things working against him, however, are the other candidates and history.
While his story and potential comeback add up to Masterton success, he's not the first player to go through this kind of event. Jiri Fischer of the Detroit Red Wings had his heart stop on the bench in 2005. He never got back to the ice but took up a job with the Red Wings organization. However, he never received the Masterton.
But the NHL even let Peverley present the trophy this past season at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas. This is probably the best bet.
MATT STAJAN'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
I'll start out by saying I have absolutely 0 idea why he wasn't even a nominee this past season. Utterly mind-boggling.
Since it happened this past season, I'm not sure he can still qualify for it next year but I hope he does. He went through a very tough time this past season and to be able to keep playing afterwards is truly motivational.
After a couple of weeks of searching, the official report changed from "Missing Persons" to one of "Homicidal Investions." They charged a man with 2 counts of first degree murder and 1 count of second degree murder.
The bodies haven't been found yet.
KEATON ELLERBY'S CASE FOR THE MASTERTON
Like I wrote earlier with Martin St. Louis' case, sudden death in the family has led to 2 different Masterton winners. However, with St. Louis and Stajan possibly in the mix, it's hard to tell who would win out. The fact that this was a case of murder though makes things significantly more depressing and could boost Elllerby's chances in the race.
Just a public service announcement:
I know writing about tragedies in terms of value in order to decide who wins some stupid trophy may not seem like the most noble thing to do. But focus for a second not on the tragedy but rather on the players trying to use their own personal tragedies as fuel on the ice as they turn to hockey to bring happiness back into not only their lives, but to the lives of others around them. That's the point of the Masterton Trophy. To award such behavior. And all these men are rather deserving.
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