The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominees for 2024-25 were announced on Wednesday, with the Kings’ Drew Doughty and the Ducks’ John Gibson joining the field of 32 honorees, one from each NHL franchise.
The award, named for the only player known to have died as a direct result of an injury sustained on the ice, recognizes “the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” Utah HC goalie Connor Ingram, who took a long road to being an NHL regular that was fraught by depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, took home last season’s trophy.
Gibson is the longest-tenured Duck, following the departure of Cam Fowler via trade earlier this season, and Doughty has been with the Kings even longer, though he’s just behind captain Anže Kopitar for the most seasons in black and silver on the current roster.
Both players faced tremendous adversity with injuries this season. Doughty broke his ankle early in training camp and underwent surgery that caused him to miss the majority of the season. His return in late January saw him cast off the chains of minute restrictions immediately and then win a gold medal with Canada at the first ever Four Nations Face-Off in February.
“When I first came back, I’m not going to lie, I was lacking a little bit of confidence because I wasn’t playing the way that I wanted to play,” Doughty said after returning from the tournament. “Making that team gave it to me and I proved to myself that I could still play with those big boys, it made me feel really good about myself, and I came back here excited to go down this playoff stretch.”
Doughty has dealt with apparent discomfort in a win over Edmonton last week and missed the Kings’ last game against the Seattle Kraken. His enthusiasm and experience could bolster the Kings the way they boosted Canada in the postseason as the Kings seek to win a round for the first time since Doughty and Kopitar hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2014, capping off three seasons with two titles and three conference finals appearances.
Gibson, who has continued to his grow his family and add to his extensive NHL resume, started the year shelved by an appendectomy. That delayed his season debut about a month and was the longest of at least half a dozen injury-related absences Gibson has endured.
When healthy, Gibson has recaptured his form and been part of arguably the NHL’s best goalie tandem this year. He and Lukáš Dostál have thrived despite spending much of the season playing behind a team that generated limited offensive-zone time and spent most of many matches defending.
Gibson, who is currently injured, posted his lowest goals-against average since 2017-18 and his highest save percentage since 2018-19. He also played in his 500th game, becoming the 85th goalie in NHL history to do so.
“It’s special,” Gibson said after he was honored prior to a win over the Dallas Stars. “I think it’s something that I’ll be able to look back and reminisce on maybe at the end of my career or during the summer when I’m with my family.”
Also among the 32 nominees were former Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo, now with the Boston Bruins, and one-time Ducks winger Pat Maroon, currently a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.
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