Bill Masterton

William John Masterton (August 13, 1938 – January 15, 1968) was a Canadian–American professional ice hockey player who was a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars in 1967–68. He is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. He died following a hit during a January 13, 1968, contest against the Oakland Seals. Years later, an analysis by The Toronto Star found his brain was already severely damaged from an earlier untreated concussion, and that the January 1968 hit triggered massive head trauma that ultimately killed him.

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 outstanding player of the 1961 NCAA men's ice hockey tournament. He briefly played in the Montreal Canadiens organization before settling in Minnesota where he played senior ice hockey. 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.

Masterton's death sparked a long-running debate in hockey about the merits of wearing helmets, as few NHL players did so at the time. Despite several efforts to mandate their use, it was 11 years before the NHL made them compulsory for all new players beginning in the 1979–80 season, and it was almost 30 years after the incident when the league became fully helmeted. In his memory, the NHL created the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which it has awarded since 1968 to a player who demonstrates perseverance and dedication to hockey. The North Stars retired his jersey number 19, an honour that followed the franchise when it became the Dallas Stars.

Playing career A Winnipegger, Masterton played two seasons of junior ice hockey with the St. Boniface Canadiens of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). He averaged a goal per game and finished with 49 points in 22 games in 1955–56 as the Canadiens won the Turnbull Cup. He added eight points in six games during the Memorial Cup playdowns, however St. Boniface failed to reach the national championship final.

Masterton played three seasons in Denver between 1958 and 1961, appearing in a total of 89 games, scoring 66 goals and 130 assists for 196 points in that time. At the time of his graduation, he was the Pioneers' all-time leading point scorer, a record he held for 25 years. 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. and led Denver to the 1960 NCAA national championship. Masterton served as team captain for 1960–61, and was named the most outstanding player of the 1961 national championship as he led Denver to a second consecutive title. 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."

Turning to professional ice hockey after graduating with an engineering degree,

Faced with little opportunity to make the Montreal roster, He joined the Honeywell Corporation where he worked on the Apollo program. He and his wife Carol adopted two children, Scott and Sally.

After taking a year off from ice hockey in 1964, Masterton regained his amateur status so that he could play senior ice hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played two seasons with the St. Paul Steers between 1964 and 1966. Masterton became a naturalized American citizen, allowing him to join the United States national team in 1966–67. He served as captain on that team and was considered its most valuable player.

Minnesota North Stars "Because he had a habit of giving everything he had for every second he was on the ice, Bill was the type of player who didn't have to score a lot of goals to help a club." — —North Stars coach Wren Blair describes Masterton's qualities as a player. The new team's coach and general manager, Wren Blair, had scouted Masterton while he played with the US Nationals and purchased his NHL playing rights from the Canadiens. He carried the puck up the ice at full speed, passing it off as two Seals defencemen, Larry Cahan and Ron Harris, converged on him. Masterton was knocked backward in the resulting collision and landed on his head. Like most players of his era, he was not wearing a helmet.

Ron Harris was haunted for many years by his role in Masterton's death: "It bothers you the rest of your life. It wasn't dirty and it wasn't meant to happen that way. Still, it's very hard because I made the play. It's always in the back of my mind." and the NHL voted on and rejected a rule requiring players wear helmets three times by 1971.

Some players began to wear helmets following Masterton's death, The "macho" attitude of the game, including fear of being called a coward, was an often cited reason for reluctance.

A later analysis by the Toronto Star in 2011 concluded Masterton died of complications from an earlier, untreated concussion. The Star 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. Coach Wren Blair believed Masterton was playing through a pre-existing brain hemorrhage. Blair revealed that for over 40 years, he had never really believed Masterton died from the hit itself. Blair also recalled that and the North Stars' trainer had noticed Masterton's face had been "blood red, almost purple" for some time. They were concerned enough that they wanted Masterton checked out by a doctor. However, Masterton brushed it off. Longtime NHL coach John Muckler, who was then the coach of the North Stars' second-tier farm team, the Memphis South Stars, believed that Masterton may have suffered a brain injury as early as training camp. During the season, several players and coaches recalled seeing Masterton black out during rushes in practice. Goaltender Cesare Maniago recalled that the night before the fatal hit, Masterton had been complaining of severe migraines that he had had for over a week. They felt it caused what was otherwise viewed as a clean, albeit hard, bodycheck to turn fatal. Toronto neurosurgeon and concussion expert Charles Tator reviewed Masterton's autopsy and opined that Masterton had suffered second-impact syndrome, which occurs when a person suffers a second concussion on top of an earlier, untreated concussion. When this happens, it can cause rapid and often fatal brain swelling. The University of Denver Pioneers ice hockey team named its most valuable player award after him, and his Winnipeg high school, Miles Macdonell Collegiate, presents a scholarship in his name. High schools in Bloomington, where the North Stars played their games, also award scholarships in Masterton's name.

Masterton is an honored Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, and named to the NCAA's 50th anniversary team in 1997.

Career statistics Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1955–56 St. Boniface Canadiens MJHL 22 23 26 49 16 4 4 2 6 2 1955–56 St. Boniface Canadiens Mem-Cup — — — — — 6 3 5 8 2 1956–57 St. Boniface Canadiens MJHL 30 23 30 53 16 7 8 10 18 2 1958–59 Denver Pioneers NCAA 23 21 28 49 6 — — — — — 1959–60 Denver Pioneers WCHA 34 21 46 67 2 — — — — — 1960–61 Denver Pioneers WCHA 32 24 56 80 4 — — — — — 1961–62 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 65 31 35 66 18 12 0 4 4 0 1962–63 Cleveland Barons AHL 72 27 55 82 12 7 4 5 9 2 1965–66 St. Paul Steers USHL 30 27 40 67 6 — — — — — 1966–67 United States NAT TM 23 10 29 39 4 — — — — — 1967–68 Minnesota North Stars NHL 38 4 8 12 4 — — — — —NHL totals 38 4 8 12 4 — — — — —

Awards and honours Award Year Ref WCHA First All-Star Team 1959–60, 1960–61 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player 1961