Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price is the recipient of the 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given “to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, ” as voted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Price beat out other finalists in New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara and Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes to win the award.
Price, after leading the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, faced incredible amounts of adversity throughout the 2021-22 campaign. The well-respected veteran netminder waived his no-movement clause and was subsequently left unprotected by the Canadiens in the 2021 Seattle Expansion Draft, kicking off an offseason of uncertainty. He then dealt with knee and hip injuries over the offseason but was expected to only miss six to eight weeks and be ready for the start of the season. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Then, as Price missed camp with those injuries and a non-COVID illness, he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program just days before the start of the season. Price returned to the team a month later, but as he recovered from the issues that caused him to enter the program, he wasn’t close to returning to game action. He continued to suffer injury setbacks throughout the season before finally returning to NHL ice on April 15 against the New York Islanders. He got his only win of the season in the team’s last game of the year, a 10-2 drubbing of the Florida Panthers.
The hockey world hopes that Price can continue to work towards full health and continue his Hall of Fame-caliber career.
I understand why he won it but Hayes deserves it more.
This is a weird award, really, in general, not sure they should even do it but…if they are going to award it, I have to ask…
What makes Price more qualified than Hayes for this award?
What a joke, voters must live in Montreal.
I’ll drink to that, burp!
Kind of lame that he won. I respect all the rehab he did, but he won one game and had a sub .900 save percentage.
I’m Canadian, in BC (where price is from) and totally think Hayes should have one.
Coming back is great – but did he win because he is a ‘bigger name?’
One has to think…
Hayes got jobbed… At least some of us here believe he should’ve been the rightful winner.
Lindblom won it last year. I guess the same team can’t win it twice. This was so lopsided that I would have liked to see Price just say, “Give it to Hayes he deserves it”. Countless players go through rehab. One win is an embarrassment.