Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy |
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| 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 |
| First winner | Claude Provost |
| Most recent | Sean Monahan Columbus Blue Jackets |
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 determination, good sportsmanship, and a strong love for the game. This award is named after Bill Masterton, who was the only player in NHL history to pass away because of injuries he got during a game. Hockey writers from across the league vote to choose the winner. This trophy is often given to a player who has bravely returned to play after a very serious illness or injury.
History of the Award
This trophy is named in honor of Bill Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars. He passed away on January 15, 1968, after being injured during a hockey game. During his time playing, Bill Masterton showed a lot of "perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." He was a great college player at Denver University. He even played for the United States men's national ice hockey team. The North Stars team noticed him there and he became their first player to sign a contract.
The award was first given out after the 1967–68 hockey season. Teams like the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens have won the trophy five times each. The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers have won it four times. The Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Islanders have each won it three times.
Award Winners
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Oskar Lindblom, the winner for the 2020–21 season.
Bobby Ryan, the winner for the 2019–20 season.
Brian Boyle, the winner for the 2017–18 season.
Player is still active
| Season | Winner | Team | Reasons for winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–68 | Claude Provost | Montreal Canadiens | Honored for his strong dedication to hockey throughout his 15-year career. |
| 1968–69 | Ted Hampson | Oakland Seals | Had his best year playing for a new team. |
| 1969–70 | Pit Martin | Chicago Black Hawks | Helped his team finish first in the league and had a great scoring year. |
| 1970–71 | Jean Ratelle | New York Rangers | Recognized for his long-time commitment to playing fair and strong hockey. |
| 1971–72 | Bobby Clarke | Philadelphia Flyers | Overcame a health condition to play in the NHL. |
| 1972–73 | Lowell MacDonald | Pittsburgh Penguins | Returned to play well after a serious knee injury. |
| 1973–74 | Henri Richard | Montreal Canadiens | Won his 11th Stanley Cup the year before, which is the most by any player. |
| 1974–75 | Don Luce | Buffalo Sabres | Awarded for his determination and dedication, after greatly improving his scoring. |
| 1975–76 | Rod Gilbert | New York Rangers | Overcame a serious back injury early in his career. |
| 1976–77 | Ed Westfall | New York Islanders | Recognized for being a great leader for his team. |
| 1977–78 | Butch Goring | Los Angeles Kings | Made it to the NHL despite being smaller than many players, and had many good seasons. |
| 1978–79 | Serge Savard | Montreal Canadiens | Awarded for his "dedication to hockey" after winning his eighth Stanley Cup. |
| 1979–80 | Al MacAdam | Minnesota North Stars | Rewarded for his determination after scoring a career-high 93 points. |
| 1980–81 | Blake Dunlop | St. Louis Blues | Showed great determination by finally having a breakout season after being drafted years earlier. |
| 1981–82 | Glenn Resch | Colorado Rockies | Awarded for his determination, as he helped his young team gain confidence as their goalie. |
| 1982–83 | Lanny McDonald | Calgary Flames | Presented for his dedication; he scored 66 goals and 32 assists for 98 points. |
| 1983–84 | Brad Park | Detroit Red Wings | Awarded for his dedication to hockey, playing for playoff teams for 17 seasons. |
| 1984–85 | Anders Hedberg | New York Rangers | Recognized for a dedicated career, scoring 20 or more goals in every full season. |
| 1985–86 | Charlie Simmer | Boston Bruins | Overcame serious knee injuries to score 60 points. |
| 1986–87 | Doug Jarvis | Hartford Whalers | Awarded for playing his 915th game in a row, breaking a record. He played 964 games in a row before retiring. |
| 1987–88 | Bob Bourne | Los Angeles Kings | Awarded for showing dedication and determination. |
| 1988–89 | Tim Kerr | Philadelphia Flyers | Returned to score many points after overcoming serious knee and shoulder injuries, and a severe illness. |
| 1989–90 | Gord Kluzak | Boston Bruins | Tried to overcome many serious knee injuries, but had to retire after his tenth knee operation. |
| 1990–91 | Dave Taylor | Los Angeles Kings | Played his entire 17-season career with the Kings and was honored for his dedication. |
| 1991–92 | Mark Fitzpatrick | New York Islanders | Overcame a potentially life-threatening illness and returned to the NHL. |
| 1992–93 | Mario Lemieux | Pittsburgh Penguins | Missed games due to a serious health condition, but still won his fourth scoring title with 160 points. |
| 1993–94 | Cam Neely | Boston Bruins | Awarded for his brave efforts to return to NHL action after very serious injuries. These injuries later caused him to retire. |
| 1994–95 | Pat LaFontaine | Buffalo Sabres | Overcame a series of serious head injuries. |
| 1995–96 | Gary Roberts | Calgary Flames | Successfully recovered from surgery for bone and nerve damage that could have ended his career. |
| 1996–97 | Tony Granato | San Jose Sharks | Overcame a serious brain injury from the previous season to score 25 goals this season. |
| 1997–98 | Jamie McLennan | St. Louis Blues | Overcame a serious bacterial infection. |
| 1998–99 | John Cullen | Tampa Bay Lightning | Overcame a serious health condition. |
| 1999–2000 | Ken Daneyko | New Jersey Devils | Overcame personal challenges. |
| 2000–01 | Adam Graves | New York Rangers | Awarded for his overall dedication to hockey. |
| 2001–02 | Saku Koivu | Montreal Canadiens | Overcame a serious health condition. |
| 2002–03 | Steve Yzerman | Detroit Red Wings | Overcame several health problems, playing only a small part of the season. |
| 2003–04 | Bryan Berard | Chicago Blackhawks | Overcame an injury that caused him to lose most sight in one eye. |
| 2004–05 | Season cancelled due to the NHL lockout | ||
| 2005–06 | Teemu Selanne | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | Overcame major knee surgery to get 90 points. |
| 2006–07 | Phil Kessel | Boston Bruins | Missed games due to a serious health condition but returned to play full-time. |
| 2007–08 | Jason Blake | Toronto Maple Leafs | Played all 82 games of the season despite a serious health diagnosis. |
| 2008–09 | Steve Sullivan | Nashville Predators | Played 41 games after missing nearly two years due to back and groin injuries. |
| 2009–10 | Jose Theodore | Washington Capitals | Had his best season in years after facing a personal tragedy. |
| 2010–11 | Ian Laperriere | Philadelphia Flyers | Diagnosed with a serious head injury after being hit by a puck. He did not play again but continued to help the team. |
| 2011–12 | Max Pacioretty | Montreal Canadiens | Returned after a hit that caused a concussion and a fractured bone. He had his most productive year after returning. |
| 2012–13 | Josh Harding | Minnesota Wild | Earned a shutout in his first game after being diagnosed with a serious health condition. He returned to play late in the season. |
| 2013–14 | Dominic Moore | New York Rangers | Returned to the NHL after taking time off to care for his wife during her serious illness. She passed away in January 2013. |
| 2014–15 | Devan Dubnyk | Minnesota Wild | Led his team to the playoffs after a mid-season trade. He had excellent statistics and was on his fifth team in two seasons. |
| 2015–16 | Jaromir Jagr | Florida Panthers | At 44 years old, he led his team in points and helped them win their division title. He was praised for his hard work and for guiding younger players. |
| 2016–17 | Craig Anderson | Ottawa Senators | Helped his team reach the Eastern Conference Final after leaving mid-season to be with his wife, who was diagnosed with a serious illness. |
| 2017–18 | Brian Boyle | New Jersey Devils | Diagnosed with a type of bone marrow illness at the start of training camp. He returned to the NHL and scored 10 goals in his first 25 games. |
| 2018–19 | Robin Lehner | New York Islanders | After sharing his struggles with personal challenges, he had a career-best season with his team. |
| 2019–20 | Bobby Ryan | Ottawa Senators | After publicly sharing his struggles with personal challenges, he returned to the NHL and scored three goals in his first home game back. |
| 2020–21 | Oskar Lindblom | Philadelphia Flyers | After being diagnosed with a serious illness in the middle of the 2019–20 season, he returned to play in the playoffs that year and played a full season in 2020–21. |
| 2021–22 | Carey Price | Montreal Canadiens | Publicly sought treatment for personal challenges and worked for months to recover from knee surgery. He returned to play five games at the end of the season. |
| 2022–23 | Kris Letang | Pittsburgh Penguins | Experienced a serious health event, the second of his career, but returned to play 12 days later. He also missed time due to a broken foot and the passing of his father, but still returned to play weeks later. |
| 2023–24 | Connor Ingram | Arizona Coyotes | Nearly retired in 2021 due to mental health challenges before getting help. He led the league in shutouts in 2023–24 and was named a top player in December. |
| 2024-25 | Sean Monahan | Columbus Blue Jackets | Monahan dedicated this season to his long-time teammate and close friend, who passed away during the offseason. Monahan had joined Columbus to play with him again. He was given the trophy for his determination, dedication, and his role in remembering his friend, which greatly impacted the team and the city during a very difficult time. His friend's widow, Meredith Gaudreau, surprised him with the award at his home. |
See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Bill Masterton para niños
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