"I knew he was done.". But even if they had, he might still have been in the lineup against Oakland. Typical of the attitude of the day, North Stars coach Wren Blair frowned on the practice. NHL -- Real reasons for the death of Bill Masterton highlight concussion issue Skip to main content Skip to navigation Presented By > ESPN Search You have reached ESPN's Australian edition. Masterton left pro hockey after two seasons when it appeared hed never make the NHL. Its the most gruesome distinction in hockey: Only one player has ever died from injuries directly suffered in an NHL game. 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. Such is the legacy of the only man who died because of injuries caused in an NHL game. 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. Boudrias helped the teams trainer onto the ice to tend to Masterton. Masterton was caught in an awkward collision that sent his head slamming backwards onto the ice. We didnt think it was that serious.. Yet players such as Masterton learned to play hurt. He died two days later. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. Its a badge of honour, he said. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. He was the first on-ice casualty in NHL history. Bill Masterton's death sparked a long-running debate in hockey about the merits of wearing helmets, as few NHL players did so in that time. Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. That rotation was a contributing factor in the severity of his injury. But even if they had, he might still have been in the lineup against Oakland. [15], Several awards were named in Masterton's memory. rights reserved. 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. Or Richard Zednik who came close after his neck was cut by a skate and he lost a lot of blood. What about Howie morenz? After Masterton's death, the North Stars set up a scholarship fund in his name. With a blown knee and broken bones, Scott stepped away from his sport. "I'd been knocked out myself playing football. They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. 4 pick Puljujarvi to Canes, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? said Boudrias, now 72. 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. 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. 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. You hold out four fingers. 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. What makes hockey players hide their injuries and re-enter games knowing the next hit could spell ruin? He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. 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. 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. That's what men did. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. . 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. 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. "When he had headaches early on, we wouldn't have had him on the ice," he said. He and others considered it a sign of weakness. 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. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. The team doctor soon joined him. "[Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.". 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. [3] The impact of the hit caused him to lose consciousness before he hit the ice; according to some accounts, he briefly came to and muttered, "Never again, never again" before passing back out. [10] Led by Jean Bliveau and Henri Richard, the Canadiens were extremely deep at center, so Masterton was assigned to the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the Eastern Professional Hockey League. (The trainer) said, Yeah, I notice that too. I said, I wonder if we could have him checked. "We watched his head bounce," Lindgren said. Stay on current site or go to US version. 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.. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. [22] The "macho" attitude of the game, including fear of being called a coward, was an often cited reason for reluctance. Still, he returned to play following lost teeth, hundreds of stitches and even the discovery of a spot on his brain visible on a CAT scan. It honours perseverance and dedication to hockey. 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. More importantly, he earned a degree. [11], Masterton suffered a severe internal brain injury during the first period of Minnesota's January 13, 1968, game against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center. During the North Stars' first game (Oct. 11, 1967 in St. Louis), Masterton scored the team's first goal and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. He said prior to the start of the 196768 season that being able to play in Minnesota was key as he would have been unlikely to consider an offer with any other team. 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. [17] Masterton became a naturalized American citizen, allowing him to join the United States National Team in 196667. 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." Well I DIEEEED, "Oh really? 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. 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. RIP in hockey heaven. Ron Harris was haunted for many years by his role in Masterton's death: "It bothers you the rest of your life. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. [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. ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. His parents, brother, wife and two children were at his side. 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. 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. "[3] However, Masterton's family held no animosity towards the players involved or the game. Season. But from that moment forward, the echoes of his fathers life stopped. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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. 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. He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. Bill Masterton died from head injuries he suffered in a National Hockey League game in 1968, sparking a long-running debate over helmets, which were finally made mandatory 11 seasons later. [11] 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. 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.". I know that in our training camp he got hit hard a couple of times. asked Williamson, who has a photo hanging in his office of Masterton on the stretcher. "I wouldn't do it.". It took the NHL more than a decade to catch up to Boudrias logic. It wasn't dirty and it wasn't meant to happen that way. "You hold out four fingers. [15] However, Masterton's death sparked an immediate debate on whether their use should be compulsory. He remains the last fatality in any professional team sport involving a direct in-game injury in North America. The real reason why the Golden Seals folded. 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. said Masterton's son, Scott, now 50. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Mastertons death. 's top rookie", "Brain injuries takes life of Stars' Bill Masterton", "Star investigation: What really killed NHL's Bill Masterton", "North Star player's death 40 years ago changed the game of hockey forever", "N.H.L. I looked at him and said, What are you going to do? because he was just starting a young family, said Bob. One of their sticks tangled with Masterton's skates as he slid a pass to his wing, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. And in Mastertons case, it probably cost him his life. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, will be awarded June 22. original sound. He served as captain on that team and was considered its most valuable player. [3] He had 31 goals and 65 points for Hull-Ottawa,[1] placing him in the top ten in both categories. We didnt really know concussions in those days, said Bush, now 86. "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. Coach Wren Blair believed that Masterton was playing through a pre-existing brain hemorrhage. 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. We didn't think it was that serious.". I think he had a (pre-existing) cerebral brain hemorrhage.. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? 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. Theres no doubt in my mind about that, Boudrias said. "His eyes were gray at the time -- it was like a horror picture," Boudrias says. "I was asked to take it off," Boudrias said. There's also the girl that was killed in the stands by a puck. 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. Only Andre Boudrias had the temerity to challenge it on Minnesota. That was the NHL's code. Masterton was soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. [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. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. 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. That was the NHLs code. NHL Home Scores Schedule Standings Stats Teams Daily Lines Power Rankings More "We lived with the accident for many years but did not talk about it.". 1891 views | original sound - avalon 13.5K .mzrdo "I Got A Plan" Bills Death | #fyp #rdr1 #billwilliamson #johnmarston 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. When the brain hasnt healed completely from a previous injury, a subsequent blow can cause the type of sudden and severe swelling found in Mastertons brain. . 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. 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!". Just that it was beating very irregularly, cause him to pass out/collapse. [14] He and his wife Carol adopted two children, Scott and Sally. 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. 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. You took a stick to the face? 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. "It is very rare to see that level of swelling in the brain from a single injury," he said. They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. 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. [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. "I knew he was done.". 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." His eyes were gray at the time it was like a horror picture, Boudrias says. Usually Masterton is described as the first death caused directly by an on-ice incident to differentiate from Morenz dying of complications. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games -- on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. "You know the diagnosis of a concussion back in those days?" He was 29.. 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. Ive never said this to anyone before, said Wren Blair, Mastertons coach and general manager, now 85. 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. "His eyes were gray at the time -- it was like a horror picture," Boudrias says. 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