[Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.. 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. 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. There's also the girl that was killed in the stands by a puck. Yet that might not actually be the case. Like many Canadian boys growing up in the '50s, Masterton listened to Saturday . He had been checked hard into the glass -- less yielding in those days -- two weeks earlier in a game against the Boston Bruins. 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. Latest News He served as captain on that team and was considered its most valuable player. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. We know the second hit can be fatal. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. [11] Referee Wally Harris compared the hit to an explosion, adding "he was checked hard, but I'm sure it wasn't a dirty play. Stay on current site or go to US version. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh_uLi6Bf7s, https://www.hockey-reference.com/awards/masterton.html. We are the premier subreddit to talk everything hockey! Helmets are great to absorb blunt impact, but when the brain is spinning, helmets dont help the spinning contents slow down, Corry said. 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. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. 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. 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.. "You know the diagnosis of a concussion back in those days?" And in Mastertons case, it probably cost him his life. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" I know that in our training camp he got hit hard a couple of times. said Masterton's son, Scott, now 50. The season started with promise: Masterton scored the first goal in North Stars history. Prior concussion was a factor in Bill Masterton's death, Wyshynski's NHL trade deadline tiers: From elite game-changers to bargain beauties, NHL trade deadline guides for all 32 teams: Players, picks in play, cap space, team status. The irony is that perseverance probably killed Bill Masterton. 1/2 Minnesota North Stars F Bill Masterton was tragically lost on this day in 1968, 2 days after having struck his head on Met Center ice. Ken Lindgren, a fan watching the play about 10 rows up in the stands just above the blue line, can still visualize the impact. He settled in Minneapolis with his high school sweetheart, Carol, and they adopted two children, Scott and Sally. 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. 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.". 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. He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. It was a dictatorship. Nowhere was that more apparent than during a standing ovation for Laperriere during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston last year. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blair's decision. [1] Masterton led the WCHA in scoring in 195960 with 44 points in conference play,[6] and led Denver to the 1960 NCAA national championship. A ritual unfolded every Saturday evening in the small Masterton home in Winnipegs East Kildonan neighbourhood: brothers Bill and Bob took a bath, slipped into pajamas and sat together in front of a tiny electric fireplace while listening to Foster Hewitt on the radio. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. RIP Bill Masterton. Like Masterton, Laperriere earned an unlikely place in the pros with grit. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Masterton, who was not wearing a helmet, smacked the back of his head on the ice. 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. 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. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, after head injuries suffered during a game. "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star 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. I thought he was out then and just went fast right down.. One of their sticks tangled with Masterton's skates as he slid a pass to his wing, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. Nor did he see evidence of CTE, the progressive degenerative disease found posthumously in the brains of nearly 87 of 91 NFL players who suffered multiple blows to the head. 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. rights reserved. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. People said I was crazy, but Im like, They brought me here to show the young guys the right way, said the 37-year-old Laperriere, who had signed with Philly before the 2009-10 season. . . 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. 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. "He played that game standing up," Williamson said. His aggressiveness got him.. [1][2] He added eight points in six games during the Memorial Cup playdowns, however St. Boniface failed to reach the national championship final. 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.". That's what men did. said Masterton's son, Scott, now 50. It got deathly quiet.. Talk centered on the divisive topic of helmets. They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. One of their sticks tangled with Masterton's skates as he slid a pass to his wing, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. He had been checked hard into the glass less yielding in those days two weeks earlier in a game against the Boston Bruins. Only NHL Player To Die On Ice Bill John Masterton Https://Tedtalkshockey.com - YouTube 0:00 / 6:28 #Numberonetrending #NHL #Nationalhockeyleague Only NHL Player To Die On Ice Bill John. 2023 John Rosengren. Its also the mindset that will shorten their lives and destroy their bodies. 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. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. [16] Masterton was the first player to sign with Minnesota,[11] agreeing to a two-year contract. "You protect your elbows, hips, knees and hands, I figured, why not protect your head?" They had total control.. "We lived with the accident for many years but did not talk about it.". They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. "[11] The force of the impact caused Masterton to bleed from his nose, ears, and mouth. 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. "There's no doubt in my mind about that," Boudrias said. 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!". 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. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. [3], Masterton played three seasons in Denver between 1958 and 1961, appearing in a total of 89 games, scoring 66 goals and 196 points in that time. The night before the Oakland game, Masterton's family gathered at the house of their neighbor, North Star goaltender Cesare Maniago, to celebrate Maniago's 29th birthday. 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. and when he got hit the second time, he had that head whip and when that happens, you can go unconscious in that split second before you fall.. "What killed this man was second-impact syndrome.". [3] He had 31 goals and 65 points for Hull-Ottawa,[1] placing him in the top ten in both categories. "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. Those closest to Masterton concur he was suffering from a brain injury before he stepped on to the ice that night, as does a medical expert who reviewed an autopsy report obtained by the Star. "I'd been knocked out myself playing football. He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. 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. The usual story is just as has unfolded here, that they can even talk a bit after that final hit and then they lapse into a coma, Tator said. Its a badge of honour, he said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. His face is blood red, almost purple. 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. The death of DU hockey Alum Bill Masterton 40 years ago this week was tragic, unnecessary and foolish. "I am convinced he had some type of concussion beforehand," said Dr. Jesse Corry, a specialist in neurocritical care at the John Nasseff Neuroscience Specialty Clinic in St. Paul who studied the autopsy report. It was kind of one of those things where I asked the question but I knew what he was going to do. Masterton was soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. 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. [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. They didn't. "When he had headaches early on, we wouldn't have had him on the ice," he said. All Rights Reserved. 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. To order copies of They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. 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. 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. Only a handful of NHL players wore them at the time, including Masterton's teammate, Boudrias. Yet players such as Masterton learned to play hurt. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. 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. Prior concussion was a factor in Bill Masterton's death, Wyshynski's NHL trade deadline tiers: From elite game-changers to bargain beauties, NHL trade deadline guides for all 32 teams: Players, picks in play, cap space, team status. Ken Lindgren, a fan watching the play about 10 rows up in the stands just above the blue line, can still visualize the impact. Hes also convinced a helmet would have saved Mastertons life. It took the NHL more than a decade to catch up to Boudrias logic. [21] It was 11 years before the NHL finally mandated the use of helmets by all players entering the league beginning in the 197980 season. I was asked to take it off, Boudrias said. What killed this man was second-impact syndrome.. Laperriere acknowledged his career may be over, though he cant bring himself to retire. Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. Men are the way men are.. Masterton left pro hockey after two seasons when it appeared hed never make the NHL. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. What makes hockey players hide their injuries and re-enter games knowing the next hit could spell ruin? That rotation was a contributing factor in the severity of his injury. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. Theres something wrong.. 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.". 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. Masterton was soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. 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 even if they had, he might still have been in the lineup against Oakland. [13] He joined the Honeywell Corporation where he worked on the Apollo program. Throughout his college career, right through to his training camp in Memphis, Masterton wore a helmet, a rarity in an age when head protection was dismissed by players and management alike. He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, will be awarded June 22. My interpretation is that the seeds of this catastrophic injury were sown days before.. "There's no doubt in my mind about that," Boudrias said. Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. "His eyes were gray at the time -- it was like a horror picture," Boudrias says. I don't think his heart completely stopped. In an age in which few players wore helmets, on January 13, 1968, 29-year-old Bill Masterton of the brand new Minnesota North Stars hit his head on the ice and never regained consciousness. He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. He was having some headaches. "He was a team man off the charts.". "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. Realizing he was already gone, Masterton's parents, who had flown in from Winnipeg after they heard of the incident, and his wife, Carol, made the decision to remove Masterton from life support. 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." He had kept fit by playing on a barnstorming amateur team, the St. Paul Steers, and with the U.S. national team. Masterton had worn a helmet when he played college hockey in Denver because NCAA regulations required players to wear them, but he did not wear one as a professional. Im fine, hed say, the mantra of a thousand hockey players. Such is the legacy of the only man who died because of injuries caused in an NHL game. Awareness about brain injuries and how to treat them has come a long way since then. 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. You protect your elbows, hips, knees and hands, I figured, why not protect your head? said Boudrias, now 72. It's always in the back of my mind. Awareness about brain injuries and how to treat them has come a long way since then. Their professional athletic careers may have ended with eerie similarity exactly 25 years apart. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Masterton played two seasons of junior hockey with the St. Boniface Canadiens in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). He wanted it badly. We didnt really know concussions in those days, said Bush, now 86. Blair, in charge of the North Stars, came calling. "We didn't really know concussions in those days," said Bush, now 86. As a 29-year-old professional U.S. kickboxing champion, the younger Mastertons career ended with a slip and fall in the ring against the then British champion on the very date Jan. 15th of his fathers death, also at the age of 29. Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. "He didn't move after that. TikTok video from That Stars Fan (@hockey_unpaused): "Bill Masterton is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an injury suffered on the ice. 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. [3], At the age of 29, Masterton made his NHL debut in the North Stars' inaugural game, played October 11, 1967, against the St. Louis Blues. [21], Some players began to wear helmets following Masterton's death,[16] but adoption was slow. 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. "He played that game standing up," Williamson said. [11], The NHL expanded in 1967, doubling from 6 teams to 12. They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. Press J to jump to the feed. "You hold out four fingers. Masterton, who was always quick to dismiss concerns, was never sent to a doctor. That rotation was a contributing factor in the severity of his injury. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. John Rosengren is the author of Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win. 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. The North Stars retired his jersey number 19, an honour that followed the franchise when it later relocated to Dallas, Texas. The specter of Masterton's death hung over the NHL All-Star Game, which was played in Toronto the next day, Jan. 16, 1968. [12], Faced with little opportunity to make the Montreal roster,[3] Masterton left the professional game to complete his master's degree at the University of Denver. 4 pick Puljujarvi to Canes, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? I looked at him and said, What are you going to do? because he was just starting a young family, said Bob. Masterton was soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. Yet that might not actually be the case. I knew he was done.. You have come to the ESPN Africa edition, for other ESPN editions, click above. 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. They didn't. Masterton had worn a helmet when he played college hockey in Denver because NCAA regulations required players to wear them, but he did not wear one as a professional. Masterton is credited with the scoring the first goal by a Minnesota franchise in the NHL. 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. 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. 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. But it was frowned on, really.. [16] In that game, a 22 tie, Masterton scored the first goal in Minnesota franchise history. The rarely told story behind the death of Bill Masterton -- the only NHL player to die from an injury suffered during a game -- highlights the risks and league culpability of concussions. 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. 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. 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. Thirty hours later, he was dead in. You hold out four fingers. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. Ive always thought of this after, that when he complained (of headaches) at least he could have put on a helmet for a couple of days, said teammate Wayne Connolly. [15] However, Masterton's death sparked an immediate debate on whether their use should be compulsory. 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 NHL season . 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball, teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. He and others considered it a sign of weakness. Carol referred to the incident as a fluke, saying that it could have happened to anyone. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. Corry believes Masterton's death could have been prevented -- and would be today. "You hold out four fingers. Realizing he was already gone, Mastertons parents, who had flown in from Winnipeg after they heard of the incident, and his wife, Carol, made the decision to remove Masterton from life support. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. He died two days later. 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. Was done.. you have come to the incident as a fluke, saying that it could have to. The way men are.. Masterton left pro hockey after two seasons when moved... 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