The Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association this morning announced that Sean Couturier is the Flyers nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an award “given to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
Each PHWA chapter nominates one player from the team they cover for the award first given back in 1968 following the death of Bill Masterton, a Minnesota North Stars player who died on Jan. 15, 1968 after an injury during a game. The chapters then take a poll to decide the annual winner. According to the NHL site, the PHWA grants an annual scholarship in the name of the winner to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund located in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Since being first awarded four Flyers have won the award, the latest being ex-Flyer Oskar Lindblom in 2021. Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma (bone cancer) in December 2019. He completed the arduous cancer treatment, received a clean bill of health and returned to the Flyers during their playoff series against the New York Islanders on Sept. 3, 2020 during the pandemic shortened season.
In 2011 the Flyers’ Ian Laperriere won the Masterton. In 1989 Tim Kerr won the award after returning from a series of shoulder surgeries and injuries, scoring 48 goals in 69 games. Kerr also went on to score 14 goals and 11 assists during the Flyer’s deep post-season run that year. And Bobby Clarke, who battled diabetes throughout his entire junior and NHL career, was the first Flyer to win the Masterton in 1972 as he scored 35 goals and had 46 assists that 1971-72 season (thanks hockeydb).
Another former Flyer is also nominated for this year’s Masterton Trophy as the Ottawa Senators’ Claude Giroux received the nomination from the Ottawa chapter of the PHWA.
