The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, introduced in 1968 after the on-ice death of its namesake, honors the player who showed the highest level of “perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
Those words certainly bring to mind Jaromir Jagr, who is the Florida Panthers nominee for the award this year.
The 44-year-old Jagr continues to laugh at Father Time, racking up 25 goals (tied for team lead with Vincent Trocheck) and 58 points (tied for team lead with Jussi Jokinen) in 72 games played for the Cats, while continuing to dedicate himself to the game he loves.
While the Masterton is usually thought of as comeback player of the year type award, the true spirit of the trophy is everything that Jagr embodies as a hockey player. If he wins, he would be the first Panther to claim the award.
The Professional Hockey Writers Association will select the winner in a poll with the top-three vote-getters earning nominations before the NHL Awards in June.
For a complete list of each team’s nominee, SBN has you covered here.