[27], Masterton was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1985,[28] and named to the NCAA's 50th anniversary team in 1997. Even as Walter Bush, one of the North Star owners, saw him lying motionless on the ice, he did not think Masterton had sustained a concussion. That dream carried him through junior hockey in his hometown of Winnipeg and three years at the University of Denver, where he was an All-American and led the Pioneers to the 1961 NCAA championship, but the dream stalled after two years of minor league hockey in the Montreal Canadiens' organization. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was created in 1968 under the trusteeship of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association and is presented annually to the "National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey". But it was frowned on, really.. The night before the fatal game against Oakland, Masterton was at Maniagos house with his family Scott was 3 and Sally, 1 helping the genial goaltender celebrate his 29th birthday with teammates. The Hennepin County medical examiner found evidence of a previous injury on the left side of Mastertons skull on the temporal region of the brain. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution He averaged a goal per game and finished with 49 points in 22 games in 195556 as the Canadiens won the Turnbull Cup. Men are the way men are.. "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" It took the NHL more than a decade to catch up to Boudrias' logic. Is his number retired by the Stars? Stay on current site or go to US version. [15] He received treatment on the ice and in the dressing room before being rushed to Fairview-Southdale Hospital.[3]. He is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game, the result of massive head injuries suffered following a hit during a January 13, 1968 contest against the Oakland Seals. Thats a philosophy that Scott Masterton views with the ambivalence of both a former competitive athlete and a man left fatherless at the age of 3. Masterton had worn a helmet when he played college hockey in Denver because NCAA regulations required players to wear them, but he did not wear one as a professional. 's top rookie", "Brain injuries takes life of Stars' Bill Masterton", "Star investigation: What really killed NHL's Bill Masterton", "North Star player's death 40 years ago changed the game of hockey forever", "N.H.L. And hopefully the lasthard to believe with how fast, heavy hitting, and dangerous this game is, it hasn't happened since. He wanted it badly. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. When he suffered the final hit of his career, Masterton was making his patented move crossing the opposing blueline and cutting to one side before passing the puck to a teammate. To order But that has not happened fast enough for a group of more than 120 ex-NHL players, including Bernie Nicholls, Mike Peluso and Steve Payne, who are suing the league in a class-action suit for putting their neurological health at risk despite knowing the violent play involved. He starred at the University of Denver from 1957-61, helping the Pioneers win three national collegiate titles and earning tournament MVP honours his senior year. He had been checked hard into the glass -- less yielding in those days -- two weeks earlier in a game against the Boston Bruins. rules new players now must wear helmets", "Alumni of Distinction Inductees - Bill Masterton Class of 1955", "Division I 50th anniversary hockey team announced", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bill_Masterton&oldid=1139666631, NCAA Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player, Biographical information and career statistics from, This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 07:49. "There's no doubt in my mind about that," Boudrias said. RIP Bill Masterton. Three years later, only six Minnesota players wore them, the most of any of the NHL's teams. [16], Few NHL players wore helmets in 1968. [Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.. Like Masterton, Laperriere earned an unlikely place in the pros with grit. "You hold out four fingers. Only a handful of NHL players wore them at the time, including Masterton's teammate, Boudrias. [21], Some players began to wear helmets following Masterton's death,[16] but adoption was slow. He was traded the following season to Chicago. It goes on today, theres no question about it. The team doctor soon joined him. Masterton is credited with the scoring the first goal by a Minnesota franchise in the NHL. 1/2 Minnesota North Stars F Bill Masterton was tragically lost on this day in 1968, 2 days after having struck his head on Met Center ice. In an age in which few players wore helmets, on January 13, 1968, 29-year-old Bill Masterton of the brand new Minnesota North Stars hit his head on the ice and never regained consciousness. Masterton, who was not wearing a helmet, smacked the back of his head on the ice. One account holds that Masterton regained consciousness for a few moments and repeated the words, Never again, never again, before closing his eyes for the final time. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. Ken Lindgren, a fan watching the play about 10 rows up in the stands just above the blue line, can still visualize the impact. We are the premier subreddit to talk everything hockey! "This is an urgent matter," UMC CEO Bill Masterton said. He was having some headaches. "He was a team man off the charts.". "[16] By mid-season, Masterton had scored 4 goals and 12 points in 38 games. [17] Masterton became a naturalized American citizen, allowing him to join the United States National Team in 196667. It got deathly quiet.". Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. "He didn't move after that. Nor did he see evidence of CTE, the progressive degenerative disease found posthumously in the brains of nearly 87 of 91 NFL players who suffered multiple blows to the head. . [21] It was 11 years before the NHL finally mandated the use of helmets by all players entering the league beginning in the 197980 season. Masterton was not a marquee player, but he was a skilled playmaker who was willing to work in the corners and be a team player. Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. "You protect your elbows, hips, knees and hands, I figured, why not protect your head?" Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. [16] In that game, a 22 tie, Masterton scored the first goal in Minnesota franchise history. Masterton, who was not wearing a helmet, smacked the back of his head on the ice. His eyes were gray at the time it was like a horror picture, Boudrias says. [3], At the age of 29, Masterton made his NHL debut in the North Stars' inaugural game, played October 11, 1967, against the St. Louis Blues. I was asked to take it off, Boudrias said. [3] He had 31 goals and 65 points for Hull-Ottawa,[1] placing him in the top ten in both categories. Coach Wren Blair believed that Masterton was playing through a pre-existing brain hemorrhage. In a quiet moment, Masterton made a rare admission to Maniago: He was struggling with the effects of a head check into the glass during a recent game. During the North Stars' first game (Oct. 11, 1967 in St. Louis), Masterton scored the team's first goal and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. Awareness about brain injuries and how to treat them has come a long way since then. He didn't see the other defender, who caught him with a clean check that knocked him backward. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Bill Masterton died from head injuries he suffered in a National Hockey League game in 1968, sparking a long-running debate over helmets, which were finally made mandatory 11 seasons later. Ken Lindgren, a fan watching the play about 10 rows up in the stands just above the blue line, can still visualize the impact. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. All Rights Reserved. His death eventually led to rule changes, but they were not quick in coming. [16] Legislators in New York considered a law to make their use mandatory,[20] and the NHL voted on and rejected a rule requiring players wear helmets three times by 1971. She, too, believes something else was wrong with Masterton that night, something that explains why the routine bodycheck left him unconscious even before he hit the ice. He remains the last fatality in any professional team sport involving a direct in-game injury in North America. "I'd been knocked out myself playing football. Bills son Scott Masterton, now 46 with four children of his own, also believes that his fathers fate was sealed long before the night when the final blow was dealt. In 1967, Mastertons nearly forgotten hope of playing in the NHL re-emerged with the leagues expansion from six to 12 teams. Typical of the attitude of the day, North Stars coach Wren Blair frowned on the practice. "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. 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