On Thursday April 2nd the news broke that St. Louis Blues first-string goalie Brian Elliott was nominated for the Masterton Trophy, an award given “to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey,” per the NHL. The Professional Hockey Writers Association nominates a candidate per team, and the St. Louis chapter chose Elliott for that honor.
Essentially the Masterton is the “comeback kid” award, which Elliott could certainly qualify for after his knee injury early in the season that kept him out for more than a month. While the Blues made headlines with their unusual goalie situation (and signing of Martin Brodeur to a one-year contract, which he later decided to turn into a one-year contract with the Blues’ front office) Elliott’s return was hard-fought.
According to the NHL’s website,
"The trophy was presented by the NHL Writers’ Association in 1968 to commemorate the late William Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars, who exhibited, to a high degree, the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, after an injury sustained during a game."
However, Elliott faces some stiff competition. Looking through the nominees, some have battled through multiple injuries (including one player with two broken legs), some have played an abnormally high amount of games and others have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their community as well as on the ice. Nominations are thick on the ground with every team having one player selected but not all seasons are created equal. We’ll take a look at five frontrunners for the Masterton.
Brian Elliott has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy by the St. Louis chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association @ThePHWA
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) April 2, 2015
The PWHA will announce the winner at the NHL Awards held June 24th in Las Vegas.
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