"You protect your elbows, hips, knees and hands, I figured, why not protect your head?" And in Masterton's case, it probably cost him his life. He had kept fit by playing on a barnstorming amateur team, the St. Paul Steers, and with the U.S. national team. He wasnt the most talented guy in the world but he really wanted to play. If I had a slim chance to play, Im going to play.. 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". Yet that might not actually be the case. The general public doesnt understand the adrenaline, the passion, the dedication the players have to get out there and perform.. 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. "You hold out four fingers. 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. The team also retired his No. It disappeared during his 38-game career as an NHLer. Discuss the NHL, AHL, PHF, IIHF, KHL, and every other hockey league you can think of! And in Masterton's case, it probably cost him his life. The Professional Hockey Writers Association proposed -- and the league immediately approved -- the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy to be awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the virtues of perseverance, courage and sportsmanship that Masterton displayed. Back at the 1968 All-Star Game, discussion among beat writers went beyond the helmet debate to come up with a way to commemorate the league's first casualty. But even if they had, he might still have been in the lineup against Oakland. In 1968, Bill Masterton became the only NHL player to date to die as the result of injuries suffered during a game. "We watched his head bounce," Lindgren said. In 1968, Boudrias was the only North Star who wore a helmet. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. He had been checked hard into the glass -- less yielding in those days -- two weeks earlier in a game against the Boston Bruins. "There's no doubt in my mind about that," Boudrias said. "Helmets are great to absorb blunt impact, but when the brain is spinning, helmets don't help the spinning contents slow down," Corry said. This reminded me of Rich Beverly or Peverly for the Stars. said Boudrias, now 72. He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. They had total control.. Ken Lindgren, a fan watching the play about 10 rows up in the stands just above the blue line, can still visualize the impact. "I'd been knocked out myself playing football. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. 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. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blairs decision. While Masterton was originally thought to have suffered a fatal brain injury while being checked on the ice, later analysis of the case revealed evidence of second-impact syndrome and . A helmet obviously would not have hurt Masterton, but it might not have been enough to spare his life, given the nature of his injury and the fact he had not healed from a recent concussion. He finished with a master's degree in business at Denver and landed a job at the Minneapolis-based technology company Honeywell, where he worked in the financial department for the Apollo project, married his high school sweetheart and started a family, adopting a son and a daughter. Masterton was knocked backward in the resulting collision and landed on his head. For the 1979-80 season, the league finally made helmets mandatory for new players -- allowing those who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979, the option not to wear them -- but it would be 18 years before every NHL player complied. [18], "Because he had a habit of giving everything he had for every second he was on the ice, Bill was the type of player who didn't have to score a lot of goals to help a club. It got deathly quiet.. The PWHA's 31 chapters will select a winner for the Masterton Trophy at the end of the regular season. [16] He played two seasons with the St. Paul Steers between 1964 and 1966. When Mastertons head struck the ice at Met Center, there was no skull fracture, but his brain swelled very quickly, evidenced by his dilated pupils and elevated blood pressure which pointed to a previous head injury. We lived with the accident for many years but did not talk about it.. "I wouldn't do it.". [3] He had 31 goals and 65 points for Hull-Ottawa,[1] placing him in the top ten in both categories. If the guy only sees two, you send him back out there because it doesn't matter anyway. Typical of the attitude of the day, North Stars coach Wren Blair frowned on the practice. We were not allowed to wear helmets, said J.P. Parise. There's also the girl that was killed in the stands by a puck. After reviewing the document, Dr. Charles Tator, a Toronto neurosurgeon and concussion expert, believes Masterton suffered second impact syndrome, a rare occurrence where a second concussion happens on the heels of a first concussion that never healed, causing rapid and severe brain swelling. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games -- on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. [14] He and his wife Carol adopted two children, Scott and Sally. They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. Corry believes Masterton's death could have been prevented -- and would be today. [12], Faced with little opportunity to make the Montreal roster,[3] Masterton left the professional game to complete his master's degree at the University of Denver. "You know the diagnosis of a concussion back in those days?" "When he had headaches early on, we wouldn't have had him on the ice," he said. We didn't think it was that serious.". Ive never seen a person work so hard. [11] Referee Wally Harris compared the hit to an explosion, adding "he was checked hard, but I'm sure it wasn't a dirty play. It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball, teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. A team of doctors at the hospital treated Masterton with steroids and diuretics, but the swelling in his brain was so swift and severe that they decided against operating. [11], Masterton suffered a severe internal brain injury during the first period of Minnesota's January 13, 1968, game against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center. Yet players such as Masterton learned to play hurt. 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. The following season, Blair traded Boudrias, who had scored the second-most points for the team in its first season, citing a drop in his production. After Masterton's death, the North Stars set up a scholarship fund in his name. Nowhere was that more apparent than during a standing ovation for Laperriere during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston last year. He finished with a master's degree in business at Denver and landed a job at the Minneapolis-based technology company Honeywell, where he worked in the financial department for the Apollo project, married his high school sweetheart and started a family, adopting a son and a daughter. Realizing he was already gone, Masterton's parents, who had flown in from Winnipeg after they heard of the incident, and his wife, Carol, made the decision to remove Masterton from life support. If anyone is wondering his story here's a short video TSN did on him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh_uLi6Bf7s and here is a list of the previous winners of the trophy named after him. Thirty hours later, he was dead in hospital. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. Realizing he was already gone, Masterton's parents, who had flown in from Winnipeg after they heard of the incident, and his wife, Carol, made the decision to remove Masterton from life support. [16] He was attended to by two neurosurgeons and three other doctors. He and others considered it a sign of weakness. Like most players of his era, he was not wearing a helmet. My mother, before she died, talked about it. 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. That rotation was a contributing factor in the severity of his injury. cemeteries found in Masterton, Masterton District, Wellington, . Ron Harris was haunted for many years by his role in Masterton's death: "It bothers you the rest of your life. This is the story of the death of Masterton, one of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history. He was a rarity in the way he prepared for a life outside the game. Death 20 Feb 2002 (aged 86) New Zealand. ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. Former Edmonton Oilers coach John Muckler, who coached the North Stars farm club in Memphis that season, said he saw signs of trouble with Masterton in training camp. . Laperrieres brain was bleeding. [9] He settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he took a job in contracts administration. . The night before the Oakland game, Mastertons family gathered at the house of their neighbor, North Star goaltender Cesare Maniago, to celebrate Maniagos 29th birthday. The team doctor soon joined him. He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. 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. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. They felt it caused what was otherwise viewed as a clean, albeit hard, bodycheck to turn fatal. [16] He is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an injury suffered on the ice. The scoreboard showed a video of Laperriere getting nailed in face with a puck in the opening series against New Jersey, blood pouring from a gash over his right eye. What killed this man was second-impact syndrome.. Carol, who was watching the game from the stands, and Masterton's parents, who were listening to the game from their home in Winnipeg, rushed to his bedside at the hospital. His playing style has endeared him to hockey fans. Longtime NHL coach John Muckler, who was then the coach of the Stars' second-tier farm team, the Memphis South Stars, believed that Masterton may have suffered a brain injury as early as training camp. john@johnrosengren.net|612-926-8835. He was a team man off the charts.. The underlying cause of his death almost 50 years ago elevates awareness about the risks of undiagnosed concussions -- and the NHL's responsibility to address them. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. Among the new entries was the Minnesota North Stars. Theres something wrong.. The team also retired his No. As a 29-year-old professional U.S. kickboxing champion, the younger Mastertons career ended with a slip and fall in the ring against the then British champion on the very date Jan. 15th of his fathers death, also at the age of 29. While much in hockey has changed since Masterton died, one thing hasnt: Playing hurt is a sacred principle. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, after head injuries suffered during a game. The question flashed up on the big screen: What if Ian didnt believe in sacrifice?. He didn't see the other defender, who caught him with a clean check that knocked him backward. RIP in hockey heaven. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" You took a stick to the face? Talk centered on the divisive topic of helmets. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. Coach Wren Blair believed that Masterton was playing through a pre-existing brain hemorrhage. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh_uLi6Bf7s, https://www.hockey-reference.com/awards/masterton.html. asked Williamson, who has a photo hanging in his office of Masterton on the stretcher. Realizing he was already gone, Mastertons parents, who had flown in from Winnipeg after they heard of the incident, and his wife, Carol, made the decision to remove Masterton from life support. In several games prior to the tragedy, Blair had also noticed something strange. He and the Stars' trainer had noticed Masterton's face was "blood red, almost purple," and were concerned enough that they wanted Masterton checked out by a doctor. "I am convinced he had some type of concussion beforehand," said Dr. Jesse Corry, a specialist in neurocritical care at the John Nasseff Neuroscience Specialty Clinic in St. Paul who studied the autopsy report. Masterton was soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. All that is out of proportion to the blow that he got. The underlying cause of his death almost 50 years ago elevates awareness about the risks of undiagnosed concussions -- and the NHL's responsibility to address them. Back at the 1968 All-Star Game, discussion among beat writers went beyond the helmet debate to come up with a way to commemorate the leagues first casualty. 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. In 1968, Boudrias was the only North Star who wore a helmet. He never laid down.. During the season, several players and coaches recalled seeing Masterton black out during rushes in practice. John Rosengren is the author of Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win. Masterton left pro hockey after two seasons when it appeared hed never make the NHL. Bob Masterton remembers his brother telling him about the NHL offer over dinner. They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. The Professional Hockey Writers Association proposed -- and the league immediately approved -- the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy to be awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the virtues of perseverance, courage and sportsmanship that Masterton displayed. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. Since Masterton was off balance at the time he got checked (cleanly; there was no penalty called), his brain twisted inside of his skull before his head struck the ice. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, NHL Power Rankings: Checking in on each team's 25-and-under core, McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row, Gaudreau scores in shootout, Wild beat Islanders 2-1, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3, Robinson scores 3 goals in Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over Sabres. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blair's decision. The usual story is just as has unfolded here, that they can even talk a bit after that final hit and then they lapse into a coma, Tator said. 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. [3] Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness. Three years later, only six Minnesota players wore them, the most of any of the NHL's teams. For the 1979-80 season, the league finally made helmets mandatory for new players allowing those who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979, the option not to wear them but it would be 18 years before every NHL player complied. That's what men did. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. Twice last season, Laperriere took slapshots in the face. Boudrias helped the teams trainer onto the ice to tend to Masterton. Season. "He was a team man off the charts.". Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blair's decision. Murray Williamson, who coached both amateur teams Masterton played for, remembered a night in Rochester, Minnesota, when Masterton backed into a radiator in the dressing room and singed his rear end. Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. He pursued a masters degree in business engineering, eventually joining technology giant Honeywell, where he worked on the financial end of the Apollo project. The following season, Blair traded Boudrias, who had scored the second-most points for the team in its first season, citing a drop in his production. ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, NHL Power Rankings: Checking in on each team's 25-and-under core, McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row, Gaudreau scores in shootout, Wild beat Islanders 2-1, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3, Robinson scores 3 goals in Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over Sabres. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Yet players such as Masterton learned to play hurt. 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. He had kept fit by playing on a barnstorming amateur team, the St. Paul Steers, and with the U.S. national team. 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