On Tuesday morning across the league, teams selected their nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. For those unfamiliar, the Masterton Trophy is awards to the player that player "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey."
Each team in the NHL selects one player, and the Professional Hockey Writers' Association narrows that list down to three, with the winner eventually being selected, normally announced at the NHL Awards.
This year the Edmonton Oilers have selected Connor McDavid as their candidate and he should be viewed in my opinion as a favourite for the award.
As revealed more in depth in the mini documentary "Whatever It Takes" that aired earlier this year, Connor McDavid completely tore his PCL in his last game last season against the Calgary Flames, when a blatant and dangerous trip by Mark Giordano caused the Oilers captain to crash into the side of the net at full speed. Connor's full speed is well over 40 kilometres an hour and his leg slammed into the metal post.
As we all know now, in the hours after the injury, McDavid, his training staff, and family were faced with a series of difficult decisions on how to proceed. The typical surgery and rehab for that type of injury would have likely put McDavid out for most of the 2019/2020 season, with questions being raised on if his leg would ever have the strength it once did.
Instead, McDavid underwent a completely non-surgical route which involved highly strenuous rehab, 12+ hours a day 7 days a week. In the end this never before attempted method proved successful and Connor McDavid was on the ice for the Oilers on opening night and finish the season second in scoring, behind teammate Leon Draisaitl.
Undergoing a rehabilitation route that would be impossible for almost any other human in the world, returning for a full season and performing at an elite level clearly fits every checkmark on the list for the Masterton Trophy. Previous award winners include Brian Boyle who returned to the league after being diagnosed with leukemia, Max Pacioretty who returned after a severe concussion and had his best season to date, and Steve Sullivan who returned to the game nearly two years after suffering a fragmented disk.
McDavid's story is extraordinary and while it may come off as biased, I truly do not believe there is a better pick for this award across the league. As an additional fact, an Edmonton Oilers player has never been awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy which would be one more impressive feat in the still very young career of #97.
Awards season could be a great time for Oilers fans as we could see a number of trophies returning to the City of Champions. Leon Draisaitl has already won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scoring and could (and should) win both the Hart and Ted Lindsay Trophy as the League MVP for this season. With the potential of McDavid receiving this honor, there could be four of the NHL's most prestigious awards coming to Edmonton.
Thanks for reading!