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. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association after each teams 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. A player can win this trophy only once in his career.
==History==
The trophy is named in honour of the late Bill Masterton, a Minnesota North Stars player who died on January 15, 1968, after sustaining an injury during a hockey game.Dinger, p.201 During his playing career, Masterton exhibited "to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey". It was first awarded following the 1967–68 regular season. As of the end of the 2006–07 NHL season, players for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins have won the trophy 4 times each, while the Los Angeles Kings have won 3 times. Due to the nature of the award, no player has ever won it more than once.
==Winners==
Season 	Winner 	Team 	Reasons for winning
1967–68	 	Montreal Canadiens 	"Embodied the definition of perseverance and dedication to hockey" throughout his 15 year career.
1968–69	 	Oakland Seals 	Had his best statistical year on a recent expansion team.
1969–70	 	Chicago Black Hawks 	After denouncing his team at the end of the 1968-69 NHL season, Martin and his team came back with a first place, and Martin had 30 goals and 33 assists for 60 points.
1970–71	 	New York Rangers 	A 20 year veteran, he won the trophy for a "lifelong dedication to strong, clean hockey".
1971–72	 	Philadelphia Flyers 	Overcame diabetes to play in the NHL.
1972–73	 	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
1973–74	 	Montreal Canadiens 	This honoured a career with 11 Stanley Cups.
1974–75	 	Buffalo Sabres 	Awarded for perseverance and dedication, after a 38-point increase in scoring from the previous season.
1975–76	 	New York Rangers 	Overcame a serious back injury early during his career.
1976–77	 	New York Islanders 	Awarded for being a good leader.
1977–78	 	Los Angeles Kings 	Made the NHL despite his small overall stature and weight, and had consistently good seasons.
1978–79	 	Montreal Canadiens 	Awarded for "dedication to hockey", after he won his 8th Stanley Cup in eleven seasons.
1979–80	 	Minnesota North Stars 	Rewarded for his perseverance after scoring a career high 42 goals and 51 assists for 93 points.
1980–81	 	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.
1981–82	 	Colorado Rockies 	Awarded for perseverance, as he gave his young team more confidence while he served as goaltender.
1982–83	 	Calgary Flames 	Presented for his dedication; he was traded around the league numerous times, and when he was traded to the Flames, he scored 66 goals and 32 assists for 98 points.
1983–84	 	Detroit Red Wings 	Awarded for his dedication to hockey
1984–85	 	New York Rangers 	He was recognized for a dedicated career, and unlike many other winners, for an exceptional season as well.
1985–86	 	Boston Bruins 	Overcame serious ligament damage to his knee to score 60 points.
1986–87	 	Hartford Whalers 	Awarded after he beat Garry Unger's record for consecutive games played, with 914 games.
1987–88	 	Los Angeles Kings 	Awarded for exemplifying the qualities of dedication and perseverance.
1988–89	 	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.
1989–90	 	Boston Bruins 	Tried to overcome severe knee injuries, but after playing two games after his 10th knee operation, he retired.
1990–91	 	Los Angeles Kings 	Played all his 17 seasons with the Kings, and was honored for his dedication.
1991–92	 	New York Islanders 	Overcame eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, a potentially life-threatening disease, and returned to the NHL.
1992–93	 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	Scored 69 goals and 91 assists for 160 points, despite missing 24 games due to Hodgkin's lymphoma
1993–94	 	Boston Bruins 	Awarded "to recognize his valiant efforts to return to NHL action after suffering career-threatening injuries"; however he retired after 1995-96 NHL season due to them.
1994–95	 	Buffalo Sabres 	Overcame serous head injury
 	 	Calgary Flames 	Successfully recovered from possibly career-ending surgery to correct bone spurs and nerve damage.
 	 	San Jose Sharks 	Overcame possibly career-ending brain injury sustained during the 1995–96 NHL season to score 25 goals during the 1996–97 NHL season.
 	 	St. Louis Blues 	Overcame bacterial meningitis.
 	 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
 	 	New Jersey Devils 	Overcame alcoholism.
 	 	New York Rangers 	Awarded for all-around dedication to hockey.
 	 	Montreal Canadiens 	Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
 	 	Detroit Red Wings 	Eventually overcame several health problems, but played only a small part of the 2002–03 NHL season.
 	 	Chicago Blackhawks 	Overcame an injury that rendered him legally blind in one eye.
 	This trophy was not awarded as a consequence of the lockout that canceled the entire season.	This trophy was not awarded as a consequence of the lockout that canceled the entire season.	This trophy was not awarded as a consequence of the lockout that canceled the entire season.
 	 	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 	Overcame major knee surgery to get 90 points (40 goals and 50 assists).
 	 	Boston Bruins 	Missed 12 games because of testicular cancer mid-season.
 	 	Toronto Maple Leafs 	Despite his diagnosis with chronic myelogenous leukemia, he played all 82 games of the season.
 	 	Nashville Predators 	Played 41 games this season after missing nearly two years due to a fragmented disc in his back, and a strained groin.
 	 	Washington Capitals 	Had his best season since following his son Chase's death in 2009 from complications stemming from his premature birth.
 	 	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."
 	 	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).
 	 	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.
 	 	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.
 	 	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.
 	 	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 3 absences. Jagr became the oldest player to surpass 60 points, and was lauded for his work ethic and off-ice mentorship.
 	 	Ottawa Senators 	Helped his team advance to the conference final after leaving mid-season to be with wife, Nicholle, who was diagnosed with cancer.
 	 	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.
 	 	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.
2020–21	 	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.
2021–22	 	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.
2022–23	 	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.
2023–24	 	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.
==See Also==
*List of NHL players
*List of NHL statistical leaders
==References==
*
==Notes==
==External Links==
*NHL.com
Category:NHL trophies and awards