Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price Nominated for Bill Masterton Trophy

The Montreal Canadiens are not going to have many representatives at the 2022 NHL Awards, I wouldn’t think.

While the finalists for the awards will not be revealed for another few weeks, there are not any Hart Trophy or Norris contenders on the Canadiens after a dismal season.

You could make an argument that Cole Caufield deserves some recognition for the Calder Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year. However, he really only showed up for the second half of the season and the award if for the Rookie of the Entire Year, not just the best rookie since the New Year.

There was a time when some were suggesting Martin St. Louis might earn a few votes for the Jack Adams Award. The voting for Coach of the Year has become the “coach of the team that overachieved the most in this given season.” Often, teams who are expected to have great seasons do, but their coach doesn’t get much recognition for that.

The team that surprises the most is usually the one that ends up having the Coach of the Year behind its bench.

However, after his blazing 9-3-3 start with a mediocre at best roster, St. Louis numbers don’t look quite as good lately. The team just lost nine in a row so St. Louis isn’t going to be getting any love from the most homerist of Habs voters.

But, even in this season where the Canadiens sit at the bottom of the NHL standings after 80 games, they might have an award winner in their midst.

Carey Price was the Canadiens nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. The trophy is awarded in honour of Bill Masterton who was killed as a result of a hit during a game between his Minnesota North Stars and the Oakland Seals in 1968.

The award is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Carey Price certainly fits that description. He persevered through knee surgery in the offseason, a stint with the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program to be treated for substance use as well as a few difficult setbacks in his attempt to return from his knee injury. He has only played four games this season, but he showed tremendous perseverance by battling through injury and off-ice issues to get back on the ice this season.

Plus, if battling that hard to come back and play goal behind the 2021-22 Montreal Canadiens doesn’t show dedication to hockey, nothing does. The current iteration of the Canadiens is one of the least organized defensive teams in recent memory. There was zero chance these last few games would be easy for Price and he knew months ago there was no playoffs to prepare for in 2022, yet he battled for months to play a few games in a lost season.

There are many deserving players when it comes to perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication, but Price should be on the short list of nominees that are in attendance at the NHL Awards in July.

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