ANDERSON, COGLIANO AND RYAN VOTED MASTERTON TROPHY FINALISTS
Goaltender Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators, left wing Andrew Cogliano of the Anaheim Ducks and center Derek Ryan of the Carolina Hurricanes are the three finalists for the 2016-17 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey,” the National Hockey League announced today.
The local chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) submitted nominations for the Masterton Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season and the top three vote-getters were designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 21, during the 2017 NHL Awards at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Following are the finalists for the Masterton Trophy, in alphabetical order:
Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators
Anderson recorded a successful season for the Senators while supporting his wife, Nicholle, in her fight against a rare form of throat cancer. After leaving the Senators in October to be with Nicholle, Anderson returned to the club at her urging on Oct. 29 when the Senators lost goaltender Andrew Hammond to a groin injury. He left the team in early December to be at Nicholle’s side while she underwent treatment and came back after the All-Star break. Anderson backstopped the Senators to a Stanley Cup Playoff berth by winning 25 of his 40 starts, surpassed the 500 career game milestone and, on March 11, became the Senators’ all-time wins leader (147).
Andrew Cogliano, Anaheim Ducks
Cogliano is a four-time Masterton Trophy nominee and is the NHL’s reigning ‘ironman,’ having played in 786 consecutive regular-season games (833 including Stanley Cup Playoffs). He has never missed a game in his 10-year NHL career, during which he has skated 17,650 shifts over 12,425 playing minutes (regular season and playoffs). Only one player in NHL history has played more consecutive games to start his career: Doug Jarvis, holder of the NHL’s all-time consecutive games streak (964, from 1975-88). Cogliano recorded his 300th NHL point in Anaheim’s season opener on Oct. 13 and surpassed Craig Ramsay (776) for the fourth-longest consecutive games played streak in NHL history on March 22.
Derek Ryan, Carolina Hurricanes
Few players have taken a longer journey to the NHL than the undrafted Ryan, who earned a regular place on the Carolina roster this season at the age of 29. Following a successful major junior career with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League, where he led his team in scoring in consecutive years under current Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters, his journey took him to the United Hockey League; the University of Alberta; Szekesfehervar, Hungary; Villach, Austria; and Orebro, Sweden. Signed by the Hurricanes as a free agent in June 2015, Ryan got his first NHL opportunity in 2015-16 (6 GP) and became a full-time player this season, recording 11-18—29 in 67 games.
Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund
A $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner.
History
The trophy was presented by the NHL Writers’ Association in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, a player with the Minnesota North Stars who exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey and who died on Jan. 15, 1968.
Announcement Schedule
The three finalists for NHL trophies are being announced by NBCSN in the United States and Sportsnet/TVA in Canada on Stanley Cup Playoff broadcasts through May 2, during pregame programming. The series of announcements continues on Tuesday, April 25, when the three finalists for the NHL Foundation Player Award will be unveiled.
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
National Hockey League Press Release. Information provided from the NHL that describes various news releases that describe current events in the league.