Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded every year 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 vote of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association after each team selects one player on their team to be voted on. It is often awarded to a player who has come back from career- or even life-threatening illness or injury. A player can receive this trophy only once in his career.

History
The trophy is named in honour of 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 showed "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 2008–09 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.

Winners

SeasonWinnerTeamReasons for winningMontreal Canadiens"Embodied the definition of perseverance and dedication to hockey" throughout his 15-year career.Oakland SealsHad his best statistical year on a recent expansion team.Chicago Black HawksAfter 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.New York RangersA 20-year veteran, he won the trophy for a "lifelong dedication to strong, clean hockey".Philadelphia FlyersOvercame diabetes to play in the NHL.Pittsburgh PenguinsOvercame severe ligament and cartilage damage to his knee and scored 34 goals and 41 assists for 75 points during the 1972–73 NHL season.Montreal CanadiensThis honoured a 20-year career with 11 Stanley Cups.Buffalo SabresAwarded for perseverance and dedication, after a 38-point increase in scoring from the previous season.New York RangersOvercame a serious back injury early during his career.New York IslandersAwarded for being a good leader.Los Angeles KingsMade the NHL despite his small overall stature and weight, and had consistently good seasons.Montreal CanadiensAwarded for "dedication to hockey", after he won his eighth Stanley Cup in eleven seasons.Minnesota North StarsRewarded for his perseverance after scoring a career-high 42 goals and 51 assists (93 points).St. Louis BluesAlthough 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.Colorado RockiesAwarded for perseverance, as he gave his young team more confidence while he served as its goaltender.Calgary FlamesPresented for his dedication; scored 66 goals and 32 assists for 98 points.Detroit Red WingsAwarded for his dedication to hockey, having played for a team that qualified for the playoffs for 17 straight seasons without winning the Stanley Cup.New York RangersHe 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.Boston BruinsOvercame serious ligament damage to his knee to score 60 points.Hartford WhalersAwarded during a season in which he played his 915th consecutive game, beating Garry Unger's record. He retired having improved the record to 964.Los Angeles KingsAwarded for exemplifying the qualities of dedication and perseverance.Philadelphia FlyersHe 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.Boston BruinsTried to overcome severe knee injuries, but after playing two games after his tenth knee operation, he retired.Los Angeles KingsPlayed his entire 17-season career with the Kings, and was honored for his dedication.New York IslandersOvercame Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome, a potentially life-threatening disease, and returned to the NHL.Pittsburgh PenguinsMissed 24 games because of Hodgkin's lymphoma, and still won his fourth Art Ross Trophy with 160 points.Boston BruinsAwarded "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.Buffalo SabresOvercame a series of serious head injuries.Calgary FlamesSuccessfully recovered from possibly career-ending surgery to correct bone spurs and nerve damage. San Jose SharksOvercame possibly career-ending brain injury sustained during the 1995–96 NHL season to score 25 goals during the 1996–97 NHL season.St. Louis BluesOvercame bacterial meningitis.Tampa Bay LightningOvercame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.New Jersey DevilsOvercame alcoholism. New York RangersAwarded for all-around dedication to hockey.Montreal Canadiens Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  Detroit Red WingsEventually overcame several health problems, but played only a small part of the 2002–03 NHL season.Chicago BlackhawksOvercame 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.Mighty Ducks of AnaheimOvercame major knee surgery to get 90 points (40 goals and 50 assists).Boston BruinsMissed 12 games because of testicular cancer mid-season.Toronto Maple LeafsDespite his diagnosis with chronic myelogenous leukemia, he played all 82 games of the season.Nashville PredatorsPlayed 41 games this season after missing nearly two years due to a fragmented disc in his back, and a strained groin.Washington CapitalsHad his best season since  following his son Chase's death in 2009 from complications stemming from his premature birth. Philadelphia FlyersDiagnosed 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 CanadiensWas 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 WildEarned 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 RangersReturned 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 WildLed 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 SenatorsHelped his team advance to the conference final after leaving mid-season to be with wife, Nicholle, who was diagnosed with cancer. New Jersey DevilsDiagnosed 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 IslandersRevealed his 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. Ottawa SenatorsRevealed struggles with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder, to try and help others who also had addiction issues. He returned to the NHL, scoring a hat trick in his first home game back.2020–21Philadelphia FlyersWas diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma during the 2019–20 season, he returned in the playoffs that year and played a full season in 2020–21.2021–22Montreal CanadiensRevealed and received treatment for substance abuse, and worked for months on a recovery from offseason knee surgery, before returning to play five games at the end of the season.2022–23Pittsburgh PenguinsSuffered a stroke, the second of his career, after first suffering from a stroke in January 2014. He returned to play 12 days later. He also missed time because of a broken foot and the death of his father within the same month, still returning to play weeks later.2023–24Arizona CoyotesAlmost retired in 2021 because to clinical depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, before he would enter 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 straight games against the past four Stanley Cup champions.

Related pages
List of NHL players
List of NHL statistical leaders

References

Notes

 Other websites 
NHL.com

Category:National Hockey League trophies and awards