Injury wasnt really of any importance in the sense that you didnt want to lose your job and if you couldnt play, obviously they had to fill their roster, said Walton, now a real estate agent in Toronto. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. You know the diagnosis of a concussion back in those days? asked Williamson, who has a photo hanging in his office of Masterton on the stretcher. "[10], Turning to professional hockey after graduating with an engineering degree,[9] Masterton signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens in 1961. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? Awareness about brain injuries and how to treat them has come a long way since then. In 1967, Mastertons nearly forgotten hope of playing in the NHL re-emerged with the leagues expansion from six to 12 teams. "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. That injury was compounded by the age-old hockey code that preaches shake-it-off-and-get-back-out-there resilience in the face of pain, serious injury, even brain trauma. [5] He was a two-time NCAA All-American and was twice named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Star team, earning both awards in 1960 and 1961. He remains the last fatality in any professional team sport involving a direct in-game injury in North America. You took a stick to the face? He didn't see the other defender, who caught him with a clean check that knocked him backward. Boudrias helped the team's trainer onto the ice to tend to Masterton. Masterton was soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. "We didn't really know concussions in those days," said Bush, now 86. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. We didn't think it was that serious.". "We watched his head bounce," Lindgren said. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. The hit was considered clean but the back of Masterton's head hit the ice hard and he died after being rushed to the hospital. Theres no doubt in my mind about that, Boudrias said. The specter of Masterton's death hung over the NHL All-Star Game, which was played in Toronto the next day, Jan. 16, 1968. When the brain hasn't healed completely from a previous injury, a subsequent blow can cause the type of sudden and severe swelling found in Masterton's brain. It's always in the back of my mind. He had kept fit by playing on a barnstorming amateur team, the St. Paul Steers, and with the U.S. national team. 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. "Helmets are great to absorb blunt impact, but when the brain is spinning, helmets don't help the spinning contents slow down," Corry said. 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. "He was a team man off the charts.". [17] Masterton became a naturalized American citizen, allowing him to join the United States National Team in 196667. They didnt. A team of doctors at the hospital treated Masterton with steroids and diuretics, but the swelling in his brain was so swift and severe that they decided against operating. Only a handful of NHL players wore them at the time, including Mastertons teammate, Boudrias. Is his number retired by the Stars? 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. The trophy named in Masterton's honor was originally presented by the NHL Writers' Association in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, a player with the Minnesota North Stars, who . My mother, before she died, talked about it. During the same season, just a few months later, he was flying up open ice with the puck and was sandwiched by 2 California Seals. The general public doesnt understand the adrenaline, the passion, the dedication the players have to get out there and perform.. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. Only a handful of NHL players wore them at the time, including Masterton's teammate, Boudrias. Since Masterton was off balance at the time he got checked (cleanly; there was no penalty called), his brain twisted inside of his skull before his head struck the ice. And hopefully the lasthard to believe with how fast, heavy hitting, and dangerous this game is, it hasn't happened since. Today his story is nearly forgotten, but for an annual NHL award that bears his name. Ken Lindgren, a fan watching the play about 10 rows up in the stands just above the blue line, can still visualize the impact. John Rosengren is the author of Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win. Hes also convinced a helmet would have saved Mastertons life. For the 1979-80 season, the league finally made helmets mandatory for new players allowing those who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979, the option not to wear them but it would be 18 years before every NHL player complied. Carol referred to the incident as a fluke, saying that it could have happened to anyone. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blair's decision. "He didn't move after that. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, after head injuries suffered during a game. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, NHL Power Rankings: Checking in on each team's 25-and-under core, McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row, Gaudreau scores in shootout, Wild beat Islanders 2-1, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3, Robinson scores 3 goals in Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over Sabres. "We lived with the accident for many years but did not talk about it.". It took the NHL more than a decade to catch up to Boudrias logic. "I wouldn't do it.". Murray Williamson, who coached both amateur teams Masterton played for, remembered a night in Rochester, Minnesota, when Masterton backed into a radiator in the dressing room and singed his rear end. When this happens, it can cause rapid and often fatal brain swelling. They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. 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. Thirty hours later, he was dead in. The following season, Blair traded Boudrias, who had scored the second-most points for the team in its first season, citing a drop in his production. 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. "We didn't really know concussions in those days," said Bush, now 86. "We lived with the accident for many years but did not talk about it.". Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. — -- Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. 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. That was the NHL's code. Talk centered on the divisive topic of helmets. [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. [14] He and his wife Carol adopted two children, Scott and Sally. Ive never seen a person work so hard. john@johnrosengren.net|612-926-8835. Masterton had not told the North Stars' coach, Wren Blair, about his headaches, but Blair had thought something might be amiss and commented to the team trainer, "I wonder if we could have him checked," according to the Toronto Star, which first reported this story on May 28, 2011. 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. Masterton had not told the North Stars' coach, Wren Blair, about his headaches, but Blair had thought something might be amiss and commented to the team trainer, "I wonder if we could have him checked," according to the Toronto Star, which first reported this story on May 28, 2011. . ", North Stars coach Wren Blair describes Masterton's qualities as a player. They didn't. Such is the legacy of the only man who died because of injuries caused in an NHL game. We are the premier subreddit to talk everything hockey! Hed got hit and even that night he said Gee, Ive really been getting these migraines and theyve been with me for about a week.. RIP Bill Masterton. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blair's decision. [15], After taking a year off from hockey in 1964, Masterton regained his amateur status so that he could play senior hockey in the United States Hockey League. The specter of Mastertons death hung over the NHL All-Star Game, which was played in Toronto the next day, Jan. 16, 1968. His eyes were gray at the time it was like a horror picture, Boudrias says. 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. 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. [15] However, Masterton's death sparked an immediate debate on whether their use should be compulsory. He never laid down.. Didn't he die on the bench and then was revived. You hold out four fingers. Back at the 1968 All-Star Game, discussion among beat writers went beyond the helmet debate to come up with a way to commemorate the league's first casualty. And in Masterton's case, it probably cost him his life. [24] The University of Denver Pioneers hockey team named its most valuable player award after him,[25] and his Winnipeg high school, Miles Macdonell Collegiate, presents a scholarship in his name. "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" [1] Following a second season in which he recorded 53 points in 30 games, Masterton chose to attend the University of Denver where he was offered a scholarship to play with the Denver Pioneers hockey program. Brittanie Cecil, as mentioned in the comments above. "We didn't really know concussions in those days," said Bush, now 86. He and others considered it a sign of weakness. . 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. While knowledge of concussions has increased dramatically since Masterton died, the warrior-like mindset of professional hockey players is everlasting, he said. [15] He received treatment on the ice and in the dressing room before being rushed to Fairview-Southdale Hospital.[3]. [9] He settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he took a job in contracts administration. "Helmets are great to absorb blunt impact, but when the brain is spinning, helmets don't help the spinning contents slow down," Corry said. That's what men did. "You protect your elbows, hips, knees and hands, I figured, why not protect your head?" Corry confirmed the opinion of Dr. Charles Tator, a Toronto neurosurgeon quoted in the Toronto Star article, who also said Masterton showed signs of "second-impact syndrome." Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. Or Richard Zednik who came close after his neck was cut by a skate and he lost a lot of blood. "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" "You hold out four fingers. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. When Masterton's head struck the ice at Met Center, there was no skull fracture, but his brain swelled very quickly, evidenced by his dilated pupils and elevated blood pressure -- which pointed to a previous head injury. 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. "His eyes were gray at the time -- it was like a horror picture," Boudrias says. Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. "What killed this man was second-impact syndrome.". "I was asked to take it off," Boudrias said. [26] High schools in Bloomington, where the North Stars played their games, also award scholarships in Masterton's name. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about Explore Bill Masterton's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. "You know the diagnosis of a concussion back in those days?" Carey Price addresses the media after winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 2021-22 season.SUBSCRIBE: http://goha.bs/1qHH4pZ "We lived with the accident for many years but did not talk about it.". He served as captain on that team and was considered its most valuable player. Like Masterton, Laperriere earned an unlikely place in the pros with grit. 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. accessed ), memorial page for William Duncan "Bill" Cromie (24 Apr 1915-20 Feb 2002), Find a Grave Memorial ID 244481111, citing Riverside Cemetery . When Bill Masterton's limp body collapsed to the ice on Jan. 15, 1968, the Minnesota North Stars centre appeared to be the victim of an innocuous hit. You stopped elbowing guys in the head, Matt?". It's a fine tribute to a respected player who exhibited those virtues himself, but it's regrettable that it ever came to be. The NHL's 1967 expansion offered an opportunity to play for the newly founded North Stars, for whom he scored the first goal in the franchise's history. I know that in our training camp he got hit hard a couple of times. He died two days later. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. During the season, several players and coaches recalled seeing Masterton black out during rushes in practice. Bill Masterton Vintage North Stars Film Discovery 50th Anniversary in Final game lumberjack1713 1.26K subscribers Subscribe 506 Share 73K views 5 years ago Credit to Tom Hauser and the good. But even if they had, he might still have been in the lineup against Oakland. Discuss the NHL, AHL, PHF, IIHF, KHL, and every other hockey league you can think of! Among the new entries was the Minnesota North Stars. The team also retired his No. 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.". permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. A college standout with the Denver Pioneers, Masterton was a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship teams in 1960 and 1961, was twice an NCAA All-Star and was the most valuable player of the 1961 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. Like most players of his era, he was not wearing a helmet. The following season, Blair traded Boudrias, who had scored the second-most points for the team in its first season, citing a drop in his production. 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. 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!". said Boudrias, now 72. 4 pick Puljujarvi to Canes, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? 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. He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Bill Masterton. Minnesota goalie Cesare Maniagos wife, Mavis, had a clear view of Mastertons fall from her seat in the stands. After Masterton's death, the North Stars set up a scholarship fund in his name. And it changed hockey forever. 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. But my brother was the worker and he had the ethic that you need to make the NHL.. One of their sticks tangled with Masterton's skates as he slid a pass to his wing, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. Masterton had not told the North Stars coach, Wren Blair, about his headaches, but Blair had thought something might be amiss and commented to the team trainer, I wonder if we could have him checked, according to the Toronto Star, which first reported this story on May 28, 2011. Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. When he suffered the final hit of his career, Masterton was making his patented move crossing the opposing blueline and cutting to one side before passing the puck to a teammate. He played for Team USA from 1966 to 1967, and the Minnesota North Stars from 1967 to 1968. Laperrieres brain was bleeding. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. "His eyes were gray at the time -- it was like a horror picture," Boudrias says. 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. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. Typical of the attitude of the day, North Stars coach Wren Blair frowned on the practice. [1][2] He added eight points in six games during the Memorial Cup playdowns, however St. Boniface failed to reach the national championship final. ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. If the guy only sees two, you send him back out there because it doesn't matter anyway. William Masterton (August 13, 1938 - January 15, 1968) was a Canadian American professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars in 1967-68. "[16] By mid-season, Masterton had scored 4 goals and 12 points in 38 games. Still, it's very hard because I made the play. (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 doesn't matter anyway. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. . 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. Its a fine tribute to a respected player who exhibited those virtues himself, but its regrettable that it ever came to be. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games -- on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. It's a fine tribute to a respected player who exhibited those virtues himself, but it's regrettable that it ever came to be. "[Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.". The specter of Masterton's death hung over the NHL All-Star Game, which was played in Toronto the next day, Jan. 16, 1968. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. And in Mastertons case, it probably cost him his life. [16] Legislators in New York considered a law to make their use mandatory,[20] and the NHL voted on and rejected a rule requiring players wear helmets three times by 1971. It got deathly quiet.. ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. His aggressiveness got him.. It got deathly quiet.". The night before the fatal game against Oakland, Masterton was at Maniagos house with his family Scott was 3 and Sally, 1 helping the genial goaltender celebrate his 29th birthday with teammates. He is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game, the result of massive head injuries suffered following a hit during a January 13, 1968 contest against the Oakland Seals. The Hennepin County medical examiner found evidence of a previous injury on the left side of Masterton's skull on the temporal region of the brain. In 1968, Bill Masterton became the only NHL player to date to die as the result of injuries suffered during a game. "I knew he was done.". 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. Fear, plain and simple, said Mike Walton, a Maple Leafs rookie when Masterton died. That's what men did. The following season, Blair traded Boudrias, who had scored the second-most points for the team in its first season, citing a drop in his production. He understands how passion and perseverance can deliver both glory and death. You have come to the ESPN Africa edition, for other ESPN editions, click above. [19] He carried the puck up the ice at full speed, passing it off as two Seals defenders, Larry Cahan and Ron Harris, converged on him. "It is very rare to see that level of swelling in the brain from a single injury," he said. 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. Carl Johnson, assistant general manager of Minnesotas farm team in Memphis, said he was told Masterton had blacked out while on line rushes during practice. cemeteries found in Masterton, Masterton District, Wellington, . What makes hockey players hide their injuries and re-enter games knowing the next hit could spell ruin? Witnesses . The team doctor soon joined him. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. 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. He and others considered it a sign of weakness. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. The team also retired his No. 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. 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. [11] He finished as the runner up to Doug Robinson for the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's top rookie. The real reason why the Golden Seals folded. "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. 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. [9] The Pioneers finished the season with a 30-1-1 record and were hailed as "the greatest hockey team to ever represent an American college or university. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, will be awarded June 22. For the 1979-80 season, the league finally made helmets mandatory for new players -- allowing those who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979, the option not to wear them -- but it would be 18 years before every NHL player complied. [16] In that game, a 22 tie, Masterton scored the first goal in Minnesota franchise history. They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. He had been checked hard into the glass -- less yielding in those days -- two weeks earlier in a game against the Boston Bruins. . "When he had headaches early on, we wouldn't have had him on the ice," he said. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. We didnt think it was that serious.. "[Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.". In a quiet moment, Masterton made a rare admission to Maniago: He was struggling with the effects of a head check into the glass during a recent game. [29], Last edited on 16 February 2023, at 07:49, 1961 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career, "Denver icers favored to whip CC in playoffs", "Denver centre Bill Masterton signs pro contract with Habs", "Doug Robinson voted A.H.L. That dream carried him through junior hockey in his hometown of Winnipeg and three years at the University of Denver, where he was an All-American and led the Pioneers to the 1961 NCAA championship, but the dream stalled after two years of minor league hockey in the Montreal Canadiens organization. [3] Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness. 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. More importantly, he earned a degree. "He played that game standing up," Williamson said. Happened to Jiri Fisher on the Wings bench too. When the brain hasn't healed completely from a previous injury, a subsequent blow can cause the type of sudden and severe swelling found in Masterton's brain. 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