"...given to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."
That is the citation that accompanies the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. For those of you not familiar with the manner in which the trophy came to be named for Masterton, here is the Wikipedia entry on the unfortunate events...
"On January 13, 1968, four minutes into a game against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center, Masterton was carrying the puck into the Seals' zone. Shortly after completing a pass to teammate Wayne Connelly, he was checked by Oakland's Larry
Cahan and Ron Harris and fell backwards onto the ice head-first…Before he lost consciousness, a teammate who rushed to his aid heard Masterton murmur, "Never again. Never again."
Masterton sustained a massive brain hemorrhage…The injury was so severe that doctors were unable to perform surgery, and Masterton died two days later without ever regaining consciousness."
If ever anything good can come out of such tragedy, there were two things in the aftermath of Masterton's death worth noting. First, it intensified the debate over mandatory use of helmets. This rule was implemented in the 1979-1980 season. It seems reasonable to say that it has prevented many injuries and perhaps a number of deaths.
The second item is the trophy, which stands as acknowledgment of a player's exhibiting those character traits that are perhaps most associated with the sport -- perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication.
The Washington Capitals have nominated Quintin Laing for the 2008 award, and it would be hard to find anyone who exemplifies perserverance and dedication more than Laing. Fans see his seeming disregard for his well-being as he flings himself in front of 100-mile an hour pucks. They see the fact that he's worked himself up through the minors to get an opportunity on an NHL sheet of ice. But what fans probably don't know about is the journey, told by Laing himself in the fine article by Mike Vogel...
"It wasn't easy. First two years in the East Coast [League] and then six in the AHL. You've just got to love the game and love what you do and I do. I just kept playing hard and hoping for a chance. I got it this year, thanks to [Caps coach] Bruce Boudreau]. The last 40 games have been just a dream every day. Every day has been just like a living dream.”
With the trophy, there is a grant from the Professional Hockey Writers Association that is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner. Quintin Laing would be a fitting honoree in the tradition of the award, a worthy addition to the list of great NHLers who have been recipients.
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