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Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy facts for kids

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Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Hhof masterton.jpg
Sport Ice hockey
Given for National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.
History
First award 1967–68 NHL season
Most recent Connor Ingram
Arizona Coyotes

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is a special award given out every year in the National Hockey League (NHL). It honors a hockey player who shows great qualities like never giving up (perseverance), playing fair (sportsmanship), and truly loving the game (dedication to ice hockey).

This award is named after Bill Masterton, who was a player for the Minnesota North Stars. He is the only player in NHL history to pass away because of injuries he got during a game. A group called the Professional Hockey Writers' Association chooses the winner each year. They often pick a player who has bravely come back from a serious illness or injury that could have ended their career or even been life-threatening.

History of the Award

The trophy was created to remember Bill Masterton. He was a player for the Minnesota North Stars who sadly died on January 15, 1968, after being injured in a hockey game. During his time playing, Bill Masterton showed amazing perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

He was a great college player at Denver University and even played for the U.S. national team. He later became the very first player signed by the new North Stars team. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was first given out after the 1967–68 hockey season.

Over the years, players from the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens have won this trophy five times each. The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers have had players win it four times. Teams like the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Islanders have won it three times.

Award Winners

Oskar Lindblom (28179260119) (cropped)
Oskar Lindblom, the winner for the 2020–21 season.
Bobby Ryan 2 2017-05-13
Bobby Ryan, the winner for the 2019–20 season.
Robin Lehner 2013-05-17
Robin Lehner, the winner for the 2018–19 season.
Brian Boyle Maple Leafs
Brian Boyle, the winner for the 2017–18 season.
Craig Anderson 2013-05-24
Craig Anderson, the winner for the 2016–17 season.

     Player is still active

Season Winner Team Reasons for winning
1967–68 Provost, ClaudeClaude Provost Montreal Canadiens Showed great perseverance and dedication throughout his 15-year career.
1968–69 Hampson, TedTed Hampson Oakland Seals Had his best season ever on a new expansion team.
1969–70 Martin, PitPit Martin Chicago Black Hawks Helped his team finish first in the league and had a great scoring year.
1970–71 Ratelle, JeanJean Ratelle New York Rangers Honored for a long career of playing strong, fair hockey.
1971–72 Clarke, BobbyBobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers Overcame diabetes to play in the NHL.
1972–73 MacDonald, LowellLowell MacDonald Pittsburgh Penguins Came back from a serious knee injury to score many goals and assists.
1973–74 Richard, HenriHenri Richard Montreal Canadiens Won his 11th Stanley Cup the year before, which is the most by any player.
1974–75 Luce, DonDon Luce Buffalo Sabres Recognized for his perseverance and dedication after greatly improving his scoring.
1975–76 Gilbert, RodRod Gilbert New York Rangers Overcame a serious back injury early in his career.
1976–77 Westfall, EdEd Westfall New York Islanders Awarded for being a strong leader for his team.
1977–78 Goring, ButchButch Goring Los Angeles Kings Made it to the NHL despite being smaller than many players and had consistently good seasons.
1978–79 Savard, SergeSerge Savard Montreal Canadiens Honored for his dedication to hockey after winning his eighth Stanley Cup.
1979–80 MacAdam, AlAl MacAdam Minnesota North Stars Rewarded for his perseverance after scoring a career-high 93 points.
1980–81 Dunlop, BlakeBlake Dunlop St. Louis Blues Showed great perseverance by finally having a breakout season after being drafted years earlier.
1981–82 Resch, GlennGlenn Resch Colorado Rockies Awarded for perseverance, giving his young team confidence as their goaltender.
1982–83 McDonald, LannyLanny McDonald Calgary Flames Presented for his dedication; scored 66 goals and 32 assists for 98 points.
1983–84 Park, BradBrad Park Detroit Red Wings Honored for his dedication to hockey, playing in the playoffs for 17 straight seasons.
1984–85 Hedberg, AndersAnders Hedberg New York Rangers Recognized for a dedicated career and a very good season with 20 goals and 31 assists.
1985–86 Simmer, CharlieCharlie Simmer Boston Bruins Overcame serious knee injury to score 60 points.
1986–87 Jarvis, DougDoug Jarvis Hartford Whalers Awarded for playing his 915th consecutive game, breaking a record. He ended his career with 964 straight games.
1987–88 Bourne, BobBob Bourne Los Angeles Kings Awarded for showing dedication and perseverance.
1988–89 Kerr, TimTim Kerr Philadelphia Flyers Returned to score 88 points after overcoming severe knee and shoulder injuries.
1989–90 Kluzak, GordGord Kluzak Boston Bruins Tried to overcome severe knee injuries, but retired after playing two games following his tenth knee operation.
1990–91 Taylor, DaveDave Taylor Los Angeles Kings Played his entire 17-season career with the Kings and was honored for his dedication.
1991–92 Fitzpatrick, MarkMark Fitzpatrick New York Islanders Overcame a serious, life-threatening illness and returned to the NHL.
1992–93 Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins Missed 24 games due to Hodgkin's lymphoma, but still won his fourth Art Ross Trophy with 160 points.
1993–94 Neely, CamCam Neely Boston Bruins Awarded for his brave efforts to return to NHL action after career-threatening injuries.
1994–95 LaFontaine, PatPat LaFontaine Buffalo Sabres Overcame a series of serious head injuries.
1995–96 Roberts, GaryGary Roberts Calgary Flames Successfully recovered from surgery to correct bone spurs and nerve damage.
1996–97 Granato, TonyTony Granato San Jose Sharks Overcame a serious brain injury from the previous season to score 25 goals.
1997–98 McLennan, JamieJamie McLennan St. Louis Blues Overcame a serious bacterial infection.
1998–99 Cullen, JohnJohn Cullen Tampa Bay Lightning Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
1999–2000 Daneyko, KenKen Daneyko New Jersey Devils Overcame personal challenges to continue his career.
2000–01 Graves, AdamAdam Graves New York Rangers Awarded for his overall dedication to hockey.
2001–02 Koivu, SakuSaku Koivu Montreal Canadiens Overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
2002–03 Yzerman, SteveSteve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings Overcame several health problems, playing a small part of the season.
2003–04 Berard, BryanBryan Berard Chicago Blackhawks Overcame an injury that caused him to be legally blind in one eye.
2004–05 Season cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–06 Selanne, TeemuTeemu Selanne Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Overcame major knee surgery to get 90 points (40 goals and 50 assists).
2006–07 Kessel, PhilPhil Kessel Boston Bruins Missed 12 games due to cancer mid-season but returned to play full-time.
2007–08 Blake, JasonJason Blake Toronto Maple Leafs Played all 82 games of the season despite being diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia.
2008–09 Sullivan, SteveSteve Sullivan Nashville Predators Played 41 games after missing nearly two years due to back and groin injuries.
2009–10 Theodore, JoseJose Theodore Washington Capitals Had his best season in years after facing a personal tragedy.
2010–11 Laperriere, IanIan Laperriere Philadelphia Flyers Diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome after being hit by a puck. He continued to help his team off the ice.
2011–12 Pacioretty, MaxMax Pacioretty Montreal Canadiens Returned from a concussion and fractured vertebra to have his most productive season yet.
2012–13 Harding, JoshJosh Harding Minnesota Wild Earned a shutout in his first start after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
2013–14 Moore, DominicDominic Moore New York Rangers Returned to the NHL after taking time off to care for his wife during her illness.
2014–15 Dubnyk, DevanDevan Dubnyk Minnesota Wild Led his team to the playoffs after a mid-season trade, showing incredible performance.
2015–16 Jagr, JaromirJaromir Jagr Florida Panthers At 44 years old, he led his team in points and helped them win their first division title.
2016–17 Anderson, CraigCraig Anderson Ottawa Senators Helped his team reach the conference final after taking time off to support his wife during her cancer diagnosis.
2017–18 Boyle, BrianBrian Boyle New Jersey Devils Diagnosed with a type of bone marrow cancer at the start of training camp. He returned to play and scored 10 goals.
2018–19 Lehner, RobinRobin Lehner New York Islanders After sharing his struggles with bipolar disorder, he had a career-best season with the Islanders.
2019–20 Ryan, BobbyBobby Ryan Ottawa Senators After sharing his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, he returned to the NHL and scored three goals in his first home game back.
2020–21 Lindblom, OskarOskar Lindblom Philadelphia Flyers After being diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, he returned to play in the playoffs and then a full season.
2021–22 Price, CareyCarey Price Montreal Canadiens Worked for months to recover from knee surgery, returning to play five games at the end of the season.
2022–23 Letang, KrisKris Letang Pittsburgh Penguins Suffered a stroke but returned to play 12 days later. He also overcame a broken foot and a family loss.
2023–24 Ingram, ConnorConnor Ingram Arizona Coyotes Nearly retired due to clinical depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He later led the league in shutouts and won four straight games against past champions.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Trofeo Bill Masterton para niños

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