Photo Credit: Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
Amidst the chaos that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy have been announced. Bill Masterton is the only player who died directly from injuries caused from the game after suffering a severe brain trauma in his final game. Masterson was without a helmet, as was customary in 1968.
The award named in his honor is awarded to players who have shown perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport of ice hockey. The teams each nominate a player on their roster that best exemplifies those qualities and then the Pro Hockey Writers Association names the award’s final nominees. Finalists for the 2016 Masterton Trophy are Jaromir Jagr of the Florida Panthers, Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers, and Pascal Dupuis, who just retired as a longtime Pittsburgh Penguin.
Jaromir Jagr put up 27 goals and 39 assists this season, making him the oldest player in NHL history to have over 60 points in the regular season. At the age of 44, his hard work on and off the ice has not gone unnoticed as he also mentors the younger players on the Panthers roster.
Mats Zuccarello came back from a fractured skull and a brain contusion he sustained during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His head injuries cost him his arm movement and speech for several days. He worked hard to get back all of his motor function to speak and play hockey by the beginning of the preseason this year. Zuccarello was the Rangers’ leader in goals and points, with 26 goals and 61 points.
Pascal Dupuis sat out the remainder of the 2014-2015 season when he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung in November. In the 2015-2016 season, Dupuis returned and played in 18 games before making the decision to retire due to his health concerns. Even though he retired, he stuck around providing feedback and support to his former team.
The winner of the Masterton Trophy will be awarded on June 22nd at the 2016 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
