The Professional Hockey Writers Association revealed its 32 nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Thursday, and one factor stood out.
Each local chapter of the PHWA nominated a player from the NHL team they cover who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discussed what they felt stood out the most from the 32 nominees (lightly edited for length and clarity):
Ryan Kennedy: The one thing I would say that really stood out in a very positive sense is the fact that mental health struggles have sort of come to the fore. So like Connor Ingram in Arizona, Oliver Kylington in Calgary, you know, Jonathan Drouin in Colorado.
The fact that it’s being acknowledged and that players are taking a step back when they need it to say, “Hey, I’m not well right now, and I need to take care of myself.” I think it’s nice to acknowledge that.
And yeah, you’re right. Sometimes, it has been an award where it’s like, who had the worst affliction and then came back? And sometimes, that’s totally warranted, and there is so much courage in doing so.
But I would also say it’s an award for perseverance. So for me, like T.J. Oshie is Washington’s guy. Matt Duchene in Dallas, I feel is a very good one where, OK, there wasn’t anything specifically wrong with Matt Duchene other than he was struggling in previous stops, and his contract was a little onerous. He comes to the Stars, basically is free money, and has an excellent campaign.
I don’t know who I’m going to vote for yet, but I feel like that’s a different kind of candidate that’s still very much worthwhile and still very much deserving of the award.
Michael Traikos: Our Ken Campbell wrote a really nice piece on Connor Ingram. He’s in Arizona right now; he actually sat down with Connor. I didn’t know the full story about Connor Ingram. I just know that he’s having a rockstar season for the Coyotes. At one point, we were like, “Is he going to drag this team into the playoffs?”
But 18 months ago, this guy was claimed off waivers. He’s dealt with OCD. Almost derailed his career and his life. He’s 27 years old and finally coming to his own. He was talking about going to rehab, spending six weeks there and how he hopes that what he went through and how he’s come out on top, that can be sort of a shining example for other kids. And he’s already had people reach out to him, whether it’s other hockey players or parents reach out to him.
That’s the kind of thing where it’s like, OK, I’m voting for Connor Ingram now because I love that story, and good on him for kind of persevering that way. So, love to hear that.
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News Summary:
- Mental Health Comes to the Fore in NHL Masterton Trophy Nominees
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