When was the last time each NHL team had a player win the Bill Masterton Trophy?

Honoring the late Bill Masterton, this annual award recognizes players who demonstrate otherworldly perserverence in the name of severe, sometimes life-threatening adversity.

The NHL offers perhaps the most expansive postseason award catalogue of the four major North American professional sports leagues, with a wide range of trophies named after significant figures in the history of ice hockey.

Differing from the more inconsequential award announcements that are commonplace for major accolades in the other three leagues, the NHL maintains a postseason award ceremony – with the evening in Las Vegas serving as the bow on the preceding season with the following season’s draft coming not too far afterwards.

So far on this site, I’ve taken a look at the history each team has with most of the NHL’s awards offered each year, although there remains one individual annual award that I have not dove into yet.

Because sports are simply a part of human life, played, watched and made possible all by participating people, it’s inevitable that tragedy can and does intertwine with our escapist pastime. After all, the athletes we all watch on our screens and in-person at stadiums and arenas are mere humans – people with limitations that are not unbreakable.

As someone who is 30 years old and has watched sports my whole life, it’s pretty mind-blowing to see the improvements in player safety across all professional sports. Awareness of concussions in the NFL is widespread, with some players now opting to wear the Guardian Cap over the hard surface of their helmet. Many baseball players, weary of taking a lethal fastball to the face, began using the “C-flap” helmet that offers extra protection for a player’s mouth and jaw within the past decade.

Yet what blows my mind the most is that for so long, NHL players were not required to wear helmets – and it even took more than a decade after unspeakable tragedy to make the change for good.

On Jan. 13, 1968, 29-year-old Minnesota North Stars forward and rookie Bill Masterton was carrying the puck up ice at full speed before passing it off in a game against the Oakland Seals when two Seals defensemen moved towards Masterton with great velocity and collided with him.

Masterton was catapulted backwards from the collision and landed directly on his head, causing Masterton to lose consciousness and bleed profusely from his nose, ears and mouth, according to an account from Timothy Feige’s Hockey’s Greatest Tragedies.

After receiving treatment on the ice, Masterton was rushed to a hospital in nearby Edina, Minnesota, where it was deemed his head injury was too severe for surgery to be a viable option. Approximately 30 hours after sustaining the hit, Masterton died before ever regaining consciousness, remaining the only player in NHL history to die as a result of an on-ice injury.

To honor Masterton, the NHL has awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy each season since the year of his death, with the first award being doled out following the 1967-68 season. According to the NHL, the award is given to the player who best exemplifies “the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication” to the sport.

Over the years, players have won the award after overcoming a wide range of adversarial events in their lives, varying from Ken Daneyko’s win for overcoming alcoholism during his playing career to Josh Harding’s award for perservering through a multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

Similar to the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, each NHL team nominates one player for the award, with the winner being selected by a poll of members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

As of the end of the 2024-25 NHL season, the following seven teams have never had a player take home the honor:

1. Utah Mammoth
2. Seattle Kraken
3. Vegas Golden Knights
4. Vancouver Canucks
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Winnipeg Jets
7. Colorado Avalanche

As for the 25 teams that have had a player receive the award, here’s a look at the last win for each club, beginning with the most recent occurrences:

1. Columbus Blue Jackets: 2024-25, Sean Monahan
2. Pittsburgh Penguins: 2022-23, Kris Letang
3. Montreal Canadiens: 2021-22, Carey Price
4. Philadelphia Flyers: 2020-21, Oskar Lindblom
5. Ottawa Senators: 2019-20, Bobby Ryan
6. New York Islanders: 2018-19, Robin Lehner
7. New Jersey Devils: 2017-18, Brian Boyle
8. Florida Panthers: 2015-16, Jaromir Jagr
9. Minnesota Wild: 2014-15, Devan Dubnyk
10. New York Rangers: 2013-14, Dominic Moore
11. Washington Capitals: 2009-10, Jose Theodore
12. Nashville Predators: 2008-09, Steve Sullivan
13. Toronto Maple Leafs: 2007-08, Jason Blake
14. Boston Bruins: 2006-07, Phil Kessel
15. Anaheim Ducks: 2005-06, Teemu Selanne
16. Chicago Blackhawks: 2003-04, Bryan Berard
17. Detroit Red Wings: 2002-03, Steve Yzerman
18. Tampa Bay Lightning: 1998-99, John Cullen
19. St. Louis Blues: 1997-98, Jamie McLennan
20. San Jose Sharks: 1996-97, Tony Granato
21. Calgary Flames: 1995-96, Gary Roberts
22. Buffalo Sabres: 1994-95, Pat LaFontaine
23. Los Angeles Kings: 1990-91, Dave Taylor
24. Carolina Hurricanes: 1986-87, Doug Jarvis*
25. Dallas Stars: 1979-80, Al MacAdam**

*denotes team was known as the Hartford Whalers at the time.
**denotes team was known as the Minnesota North Stars at the time.
***The Oakland Seals and Arizona Coyotes, both defunct franchises, had a player win the award in 1968-69 and 2023-24, respectively.