| Bill Masterton | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1938 Winnipeg, MB, CAN |
| Died | January 15, 1968 (aged 29) Minneapolis, MN, USA |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shot | Right |
| Played for | Minnesota North Stars |
| National team | United States |
| Playing career | 1967–1968 |
William J. Masterton (August 13, 1938 – January 15, 1968) 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.
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A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Masterton began playing hockey in Canada's far-flung junior hockey program with the St. Boniface Canadiens 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.[1]
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 Connelly, 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."[2]
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.[3]
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.[4]
The Bill Masterton Trophy is named in his honour. The trophy is awarded for dedication, sportsmanship, and perseverance.[5][6] 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 | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | 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 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||