Veteran Islanders defenceman Zdeno Chara, Flyers centre Kevin Hayes and Canadiens goalie Carey Price have been named finalists for the 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award honours a player "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."
The award is named after Bill Masteron, a former Minnesota North Stars player who died following an injury sustained in a game during the 1967-68 season.
Chara, 45, became just the eighth player to skate in 24 NHL seasons when he appeared in 72 games with the Islanders this season. In February, he broke Chris Chelios' record for most games by a defenceman and at season's end he had appeared in 1,680 regular season games.
Hayes played the 2021-22 season with a heavy heart following the tragic passing of his brother, former NHL player Jimmy Hayes. Kevin Hayes also overcame a blood infection and three surgeries to skate in 48 games for the Flyers this season, scoring 10 goals and 31 points.
Price rejoined the Canadiens for four games in mid-April, appearing in his 15th NHL season. The return came after Price missed the start of the season after voluntarily entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and trying to rehab an off-season knee surgery.
Each local chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association nominates a player and the finalists were then chosen by a vote. The winner will be announced later in the playoffs.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.