I think he had a (pre-existing) cerebral brain hemorrhage.. Its the most gruesome distinction in hockey: Only one player has ever died from injuries directly suffered in an NHL game. One of their sticks tangled with Masterton's skates as he slid a pass to his wing, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. So has NHL protocol, initiated in 2011, which has spotters to flag potentially concussed players and bans those from returning to games in which they were injured. Boudrias helped the teams trainer onto the ice to tend to Masterton. "We watched his head bounce," Lindgren said. "When he had headaches early on, we wouldn't have had him on the ice," he said. NHL -- Real reasons for the death of Bill Masterton highlight concussion issue Skip to main content Skip to navigation Presented By > ESPN Search You have reached ESPN's Australian edition. You hold out four fingers. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. 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. Blair, in charge of the North Stars, came calling. Like Masterton, Laperriere earned an unlikely place in the pros with grit. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, will be awarded June 22. We are the premier subreddit to talk everything hockey! We didnt really know concussions in those days, said Bush, now 86. 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". Only player death* Brittanie Cecil died while watching a game in 2002. (The trainer) said, Yeah, I notice that too. I said, I wonder if we could have him checked. . If the guy only sees two, you send him back out there because it doesnt matter anyway., Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. 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. Hed never show when he got hurt. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. 2023 John Rosengren. #nhl #hockeydeath #rip #hockey #sports". He pursued a masters degree in business engineering, eventually joining technology giant Honeywell, where he worked on the financial end of the Apollo project. Usually Masterton is described as the first death caused directly by an on-ice incident to differentiate from Morenz dying of complications. 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. It's a fine tribute to a respected player who exhibited those virtues himself, but it's regrettable that it ever came to be. "What killed this man was second-impact syndrome.". Theres no doubt in my mind about that, Boudrias said. He and others considered it a sign of weakness. He understands how passion and perseverance can deliver both glory and death. 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. Masterton was knocked backward in the resulting collision and landed on his head. He had been checked hard into the glass -- less yielding in those days -- two weeks earlier in a game against the Boston Bruins. 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. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. said Masterton's son, Scott, now 50. In 1968, Bill Masterton became the only NHL player to date to die as the result of injuries suffered during a game. We didn't think it was that serious.". [23], A later analysis by the Toronto Star in 2011 suggested that the "macho" attitude of the NHL in that era, as well as Masterton's aggressive playing style, played a significant role in his death. 4 pick Puljujarvi to Canes, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? 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. It got deathly quiet.". That rotation was a contributing factor in the severity of his injury. Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. Philadelphia forward Ian Laperriere is one of three final nominees for this years Masterton Trophy despite not playing a single game in 2010-11 as he deals with post-concussion syndrome. My feeling is that he may have gotten a minor concussion playing or practising on some other day . Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. [3], Masterton played three seasons in Denver between 1958 and 1961, appearing in a total of 89 games, scoring 66 goals and 196 points in that time. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games -- on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. Ron Harris was haunted for many years by his role in Masterton's death: "It bothers you the rest of your life. 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. Yet that might not actually be the case. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. So has NHL protocol, initiated in 2011, which has spotters to flag potentially concussed players and bans those from returning to games in which they were injured. He died from a coronary embolism caused by blood clots from his damaged leg, so related but not directly because of the injury (he had a heart attack before the coronary embolism). His face is blood red, almost purple. "Helmets are great to absorb blunt impact, but when the brain is spinning, helmets don't help the spinning contents slow down," Corry said. It was always in the back of his mind.. [13] Masterton's Minnesota teammates, who were playing a game in Boston on the 14th, were informed that he had been removed from life support in the dressing room in what was ultimately a 92 loss to the Bruins. Only Andre Boudrias had the temerity to challenge it on Minnesota. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. Thirty hours later, he was dead in. -- Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. Season. Playoffs. Masterton died in a Minneapolis hospital shortly after midnight on Jan. 15, 1968, a little more than one day after the 29 . In several games prior to the tragedy, Blair had also noticed something strange. That same year a trophy called the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was established by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, in his memory. Minnesota goalie Cesare Maniagos wife, Mavis, had a clear view of Mastertons fall from her seat in the stands. 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. States the autopsy report: "There was a blow to the left temple in a game some days prior to the fatal injury and the deceased is said to have complained of headaches in the left temporal region.". What happened in the days leading up to that fatal moment in Minneapolis, when Masterton played his 38th and final NHL game, has been largely a mystery. The PWHA's 31 chapters will select a winner for the Masterton Trophy at the end of the regular season. [11] He finished as the runner up to Doug Robinson for the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's top rookie. Despite several efforts to mandate their use, it was 11 years before the NHL made them compulsory for all new players beginning in the 1979-80 NHL season . Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. I thought he was out then and just went fast right down.. 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. For my iTunes documentary, "The California Golden Seals Story" - I interviewed three witnesses to the tragic sequence of events that led to the death of Minn. They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. When this happens, it can cause rapid and often fatal brain swelling. 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. [1] Masterton led the WCHA in scoring in 195960 with 44 points in conference play,[6] and led Denver to the 1960 NCAA national championship. Bob Masterton remembers his brother telling him about the NHL offer over dinner. rights reserved. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. You took a stick to the face? 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. While much in hockey has changed since Masterton died, one thing hasnt: Playing hurt is a sacred principle. 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. He had been checked hard into the glass less yielding in those days two weeks earlier in a game against the Boston Bruins. 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. [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. The team doctor soon joined him. 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. Masterton left pro hockey after two seasons when it appeared hed never make the NHL. The night before the Oakland game, Masterton's family gathered at the house of their neighbor, North Star goaltender Cesare Maniago, to celebrate Maniago's 29th birthday. 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. Witnesses . 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. "He was a team man off the charts.". ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. 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. Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. "We watched his head bounce," Lindgren said. "[16] By mid-season, Masterton had scored 4 goals and 12 points in 38 games. He had kept fit by playing on a barnstorming amateur team, the St. Paul Steers, and with the U.S. national team. It took the NHL more than a decade to catch up to Boudrias' logic. 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. 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. The idea that you persevere goes back to time immemorial. [16] He is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an injury suffered on the ice. To order That was the NHLs code. He settled in Minneapolis with his high school sweetheart, Carol, and they adopted two children, Scott and Sally. He had been complaining of headaches, said Maniago. Toronto neurosurgeon and concussion expert Charles Tator reviewed Masterton's autopsy and opined that Masterton had suffered second-impact syndrome, which occurs when a person suffers a second concussion on top of an earlier, untreated concussion. 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. asked Williamson, who has a photo hanging in his office of Masterton on the stretcher. Like many Canadian boys growing up in the 50s, Masterton listened to Saturday night radio broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada and dreamed of Foster Hewitt making the call: Masterton shoots, he scores!. [3] Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness. Prior concussion was a factor in Bill Masterton's death, Wyshynski's NHL trade deadline tiers: From elite game-changers to bargain beauties, NHL trade deadline guides for all 32 teams: Players, picks in play, cap space, team status. They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. 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. On that fatal night at Met Center on Jan. 13, 1968, the Minnesota North Stars center, playing against the Oakland Seals, carried the puck across the blue line and cut to the right while Seals defensemen Larry Cahan and Ron Harris closed in. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. — -- Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. Its also the mindset that will shorten their lives and destroy their bodies. Professional Hockey Player. The general public doesnt understand the adrenaline, the passion, the dedication the players have to get out there and perform.. Bill Masterton is the only man to die of injuries sustained in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blair's decision. Typical of the attitude of the day, North Stars coach Wren Blair frowned on the practice. 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. [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 got deathly quiet.. 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. "I knew he was done.". said Masterton's son, Scott, now 50. At 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 15, 1968 almost 30 hours after he struck his head on the ice Bill Masterton died at the age of 29. TikTok video from That Stars Fan (@hockey_unpaused): "Bill Masterton is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an injury suffered on the ice. He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. 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. He sees both nobility and short-sightedness in the demands placed on hockeys most devoted players. 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. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games -- on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. https://www.hockey-reference.com/awards/masterton.html. 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