Bill Masterton

Bill Masterton
Date of birth	August 16, 1938
place of birth	Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada
date of death	15th January 1968
Place of death	Minneapolis , Minnesota , USA
size	183 cm
Weight	84 kg
position	center
Career stations
1955-1957	St. Boniface Canadiens
1957-1961	University of Denver
1961–1962	Hull-Ottawa Canadiens
1962-1963	Cleveland Barons
1964-1965	Rochester Mustangs
1965-1966	St. Paul Steers
1966-1967	Team USA
1967-1968	Minnesota North Stars

William "Bill" Masterton (born August 16, 1938 in Winnipeg , Manitoba , † January 15, 1968 in Minneapolis , Minnesota ) was an American - Canadian ice hockey player . He is the only player in National Hockey League history to die from a game-related injury.

Career

Start of career and studies

Bill Masterton played ice hockey in his youth in Winnipeg and from 1957 went to the University of Denver . In his senior year in Denver, he led the university's ice hockey team to the 1961 National Collegiate Athletic Association title and was named Most Valuable Player of the Year himself.

Then he interrupted his studies and signed a contract with the Montréal Canadiens . For the next two years he played with the Canadiens' farm teams . 1961/62 he was with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens in the EPHL , where he reached 66 points in 65 games and 1962/63 with the Cleveland Barons in the AHL , where he got 82 points in 72 games.

At the end of the season he went back to the University of Denver and took a hockey hiatus for the following year. In 1964 he received his Masters Degree in Finance from the university.

The 1964/65 season he returned to the ice hockey business. From then on he played in the USHL amateur league and worked for the Honeywell company . Masterton convinced with his performances and created 106 points in 51 games from 1965 to 1967.

NHL professional

In 1967, his dream of a career as a professional player finally came true when the newly formed NHL team Minnesota North Stars bought the rights to Masterton from the Montréal Canadiens. Masterton was the second player to sign a contract with the team after goalkeeper Carl Wetzel . Despite four years of abstinence from professional ice hockey, he was able to assert himself in the team and made history on October 11, 1967 when he scored the first NHL goal in the history of the North Stars. In the following three months he scored three more times and set up eight goals.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy , created in memory of Bill Masterton

On January 13, 1968, the team met the Oakland Seals at the Met Center at home . In an advance into the opposing third Masterton was stopped by Ron Harris and hit the back of his head on the ice. Bleeding profusely, he was carried off the ice and taken to a hospital. He succumbed to his injury on the morning of January 15th.

Bill Masterton died at the age of 29, leaving behind a wife and two children.

After the fatal accident

It was the first and only time in NHL history that a player died of injuries sustained in a game. The death of Bill Masterton meant that more and more players began to wear helmets during the game, which very few had before.

In memory of Masterton, no Minnesota North Stars player wore his number 19, and in 1987 a banner with that number was hung in his honor in the North Stars arena, so the number was now officially banned. When the North Stars moved to Dallas to become the Dallas Stars , the banner was taken to the new ice rink.

The Professional Hockey Writers' Association created the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in his honor , which has been awarded annually since 1968 to the player who excelled in and around ice hockey through perseverance, dedication and fairness.

Achievements and Awards

• 1960 WCHA First All-Star Team
• 1960 NCAA West First All-American Team
• 1961 WCHA First All-Star Team
• 1961 NCAA West First All-American Team
• 1961 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team
• 1961 NCAA Championship Tournament MVP

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	1	38	4th	8th	12	4th
Playoffs	-	-	-	-	-	-

Web links

• Bill Masterton at legendsofhockey.net (English)
• Bill Masterton at hockeydb.com (English)
• Masterton dies of head injuries Newspaper article dated Jan. 15, 1968 from St. Paul Dispatch
• Death ended Masterton's dream of big time hockey Newspaper article from January 15, 1968 from St. Paul Dispatch