NHL Awards: Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner Roundtable

NHL Awards: Florida Panthers right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) skates with the puck past Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jeff Skinner (53) in the third period at BB&T Center. The Panthers won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Awards: Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Winner Prediction Group Roundtable

Among numerous NHL Awards handed out in June, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best shows the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to our sport. The winner is selected by a poll of professional writers after each team nominates one player for candidacy. It is often awarded to a player who has come back from career– or even life-threatening illness or injury.

The trophy is named in honor of the late Bill Masterton, a Minnesota North Stars player who died on January 15, 1968, after sustaining an injury during a hockey game. During his playing career, Masterton exhibited “to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey”. It was first awarded after the 1967–68 regular season.

For reference here are the last three winners of the award:

Apr 4, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; New York Rangers center Dominic Moore (28) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Rangers won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

2013-2014: Dominic Moore– New York Rangers

Moore returned to the NHL in the 2013–14 season after taking an 18-month leave of absence from the league in the spring of 2012 to care for his wife, Katie, following her diagnosis with a rare form of liver cancer. She died in January 2013.

2014-2015: Devan Dubnyk– Minnesota Wild

Dubnyk led the last-place Wild to the playoffs following a mid-season trade, going 27-9-2 with a 1.78 goals-against average, .936 save percentage and five shutouts. The Wild were Dubnyk’s fifth team over the previous two seasons.

2015-2016 Jaromir Jagr- Florida Panthers

At the age of 44, Jagr lead the Panthers in points (66) and was second in goals (27), as the team earned its first Atlantic Division title and returned to the playoffs after 3 absences. Jagr became the oldest player to surpass 60 points and was lauded for his work ethic and off-ice mentorship.

This Years Winner Will Exemplify The Quality Of The Award

So who will win the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy this year? Is it a player on your favorite team? For the answers, we turn to our resident experts who are the writers here at Puck Prose to get their opinion in our Masterton Trophy Winner Roundtable.