Bill Masterton
Encyclopedia
William J. Masterton was a Canadian
-American
professional ice hockey
centre
who played one season in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars
before succumbing to an injury he suffered during a game against the Oakland Seals in 1968. He is only the second player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an on-ice incident during a game, the other being Howie Morenz
of the Montreal Canadiens, in 1937.
in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League
in 1956-57. Masterton went on to play collegiate hockey at the University of Denver
in 1957-58 where he would be named an All-American and help the Pioneers
win three NCAA national titles in 1958, 1960 and 1961. He was signed by the Montreal Canadiens
soon after he came out of the University of Denver in 1961 and would play a few years in the minors before retiring in 1963 in order to work for the Honeywell Corporation in Minneapolis, MN. In 1966 Masterton played as an amateur for the United States men's national ice hockey team and eventually became an American citizen in 1967. The Montreal Canadiens traded his rights to the Minnesota North Stars before their inaugural season in 1967-68. He scored the first goal in North Stars history on October 11, 1967.
, he was checked by Oakland's Larry Cahan
and Ron Harris
and fell backwards onto the ice head-first. The force of the back of his head hitting the ice caused blood to gush from his mouth and nose. Before Masterton lost consciousness, a teammate who rushed to his aid heard him murmur, "Never again. Never again."
Masterton sustained a massive brain hemorrhage that damaged the pons
. The injury was so severe that doctors were unable to perform surgery, and Masterton died two days later.
His death would result in more intense lobbying to make it mandatory for hockey players to wear helmets
, which were uncommon in North American professional hockey at the time. Helmets were made a mandatory piece of equipment for professional players before the start of the 1979–80 season.
Masterton's #19 jersey has never been worn again by any player in the North Stars/Stars franchise, and it was officially retired in 1987, six years before the North Stars left Minnesota.
The Bill Masterton Trophy is named in his honour. The trophy is awarded for dedication, sportsmanship, and perseverance.
Masterton attended Miles MacDonell Collegiate in Winnipeg, where he was the male athlete of the year at the school in 1955. In 1968, his family created a scholarship in his honour for MacDonell students.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who played one season in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
before succumbing to an injury he suffered during a game against the Oakland Seals in 1968. He is only the second player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an on-ice incident during a game, the other being Howie Morenz
Howie Morenz
Howard William Morenz was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre for three National Hockey League teams: the Montreal Canadiens , the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers...
of the Montreal Canadiens, in 1937.
Early life and career
A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Masterton began playing hockey in Canada's far-flung junior hockey program with the St. Boniface CanadiensSt. Boniface Canadiens
In 1952 the Winnipeg Canadiens were bought and renamed the St. Boniface Canadiens.The St. Boniface Canadiens were a Manitoba Junior Hockey League Team. The St. Boniface Canadiens won 4 Turnbull Cup Championships as Manitoba Junior Champions, 1953, 1954, 1956, & 1958.The 1953 St...
in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Manitoba Junior Hockey League
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The MJHL is one of eleven Junior 'A' Hockey Leagues in Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League ....
in 1956-57. Masterton went on to play collegiate hockey at the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
in 1957-58 where he would be named an All-American and help the Pioneers
Denver Pioneers
The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver. They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, with most teams participating in the Sun Belt Conference. The Western Athletic Conference will become Denver's primary sports conference on July 1, 2012.The...
win three NCAA national titles in 1958, 1960 and 1961. He was signed by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
soon after he came out of the University of Denver in 1961 and would play a few years in the minors before retiring in 1963 in order to work for the Honeywell Corporation in Minneapolis, MN. In 1966 Masterton played as an amateur for the United States men's national ice hockey team and eventually became an American citizen in 1967. The Montreal Canadiens traded his rights to the Minnesota North Stars before their inaugural season in 1967-68. He scored the first goal in North Stars history on October 11, 1967.
Death
On January 13, 1968, four minutes into a game against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center, Masterton was carrying the puck into the Seals' zone. Shortly after completing a pass to teammate Wayne ConnellyWayne Connelly
Wayne Francis Connelly is a Canadian former ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings, St...
, he was checked by Oakland's Larry Cahan
Larry Cahan
Lawrence Louis Henry "Hank" Cahan , nicknamed Hank, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in several Canadian and U.S...
and Ron Harris
Ron Harris (ice hockey)
Ronald Thomas Harris is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 476 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Oakland Seals, Atlanta Flames, and New York Rangers....
and fell backwards onto the ice head-first. The force of the back of his head hitting the ice caused blood to gush from his mouth and nose. Before Masterton lost consciousness, a teammate who rushed to his aid heard him murmur, "Never again. Never again."
Masterton sustained a massive brain hemorrhage that damaged the pons
Pons
The pons is a structure located on the brain stem, named after the Latin word for "bridge" or the 16th-century Italian anatomist and surgeon Costanzo Varolio . It is superior to the medulla oblongata, inferior to the midbrain, and ventral to the cerebellum. In humans and other bipeds this means it...
. The injury was so severe that doctors were unable to perform surgery, and Masterton died two days later.
His death would result in more intense lobbying to make it mandatory for hockey players to wear helmets
Hockey helmet
A hockey helmet is worn by players of ice hockey and inline hockey to help protect the head from potential injury when hit by the puck, sticks, skates, boards, other players, or the ice.-Construction:...
, which were uncommon in North American professional hockey at the time. Helmets were made a mandatory piece of equipment for professional players before the start of the 1979–80 season.
Masterton's #19 jersey has never been worn again by any player in the North Stars/Stars franchise, and it was officially retired in 1987, six years before the North Stars left Minnesota.
The Bill Masterton Trophy is named in his honour. The trophy is awarded for dedication, sportsmanship, and perseverance.
Masterton attended Miles MacDonell Collegiate in Winnipeg, where he was the male athlete of the year at the school in 1955. In 1968, his family created a scholarship in his honour for MacDonell students.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1957-58 | University of Denver | NCAA | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1958-59 | University of Denver | NCAA | 23 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1959-60 | University of Denver | NCAA | 34 | 21 | 46 | 67 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1960-61 | University of Denver | NCAA | 32 | 24 | 56 | 80 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1961-62 | Hull Ottawa Canadiens | EPHL | 65 | 31 | 35 | 66 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1962-63 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 72 | 27 | 55 | 82 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1965-66 | St. Paul Steers | USHL | 30 | 27 | 40 | 67 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1966-67 | United States | NAT TM | 23 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1967-68 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 38 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| NHL totals | 38 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
Awards and achievements
- Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1956)
- NCAA National Championships (1958, 1960, & 1961)
- WCHAWestern Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
First All-Star Team (1960 & 1961) - NCAA West First All-American Team (1960 & 1961)
- NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1961)
- NCAA Championship Tournament MVP (1961)
- “Honored Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of FameManitoba Hockey Hall of FameThe Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1985 when the first honoured members were named and plaques were erected in their honour. The first group of inductees was large in order to recognize the accomplishments of Manitoba players, coaches, builders and teams at the...