They carried Masterton off on a stretcher, and an ambulance rushed him to Fairview Southdale hospital, seven miles away. I think he had a (pre-existing) cerebral brain hemorrhage.. "I was asked to take it off," Boudrias said. He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. . Yet that might not actually be the case. At 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 15, 1968 -- almost 30 hours after he struck his head on the ice -- Bill Masterton died at the age of 29. Its kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the What if? A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Masterton played two seasons of junior hockey with the St. Boniface Canadiens in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). One of their sticks tangled with Masterton's skates as he slid a pass to his wing, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. "What killed this man was second-impact syndrome.". 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. 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. By "at" an NHL game I'm guessing you just meant players? The team doctor soon joined him. 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. But it was frowned on, really.. 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. It's a fine tribute to a respected player who exhibited those virtues himself, but it's regrettable that it ever came to be. But my brother was the worker and he had the ethic that you need to make the NHL.. Deadline decisions: What will Avs, Kraken and others do? He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. . said Boudrias, now 72. [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. -- Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. I looked at him and said, What are you going to do? because he was just starting a young family, said Bob. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. 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. Bill Masterton is stretchered off the ice after being hit in a game against the Oakland Seals in 1968. That's what men did. 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. "He didn't move after that. My interpretation is that the seeds of this catastrophic injury were sown days before.. 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. 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.". 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. He remains the last fatality in any professional team sport involving a direct in-game injury in North America. Awareness about brain injuries and how to treat them has come a long way since then. 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 sees both nobility and short-sightedness in the demands placed on hockeys most devoted players. [7] Masterton served as team captain for 196061,[8] and was named the most valuable player of the 1961 national championship as he led Denver to a second consecutive title. "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. The real reason why the Golden Seals folded. If I had a slim chance to play, Im going to play.. Didn't he die on the bench and then was revived. [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 soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. Masterton was caught in an awkward collision that sent his head slamming backwards onto the ice. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. 4 pick Puljujarvi to Canes, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. Discuss the NHL, AHL, PHF, IIHF, KHL, and every other hockey league you can think of! They didn't. What happened in the days leading up to that fatal moment in Minneapolis, when Masterton played his 38th and final NHL game, has been largely a mystery. Happened to Jiri Fisher on the Wings bench too. (The trainer) said, Yeah, I notice that too. I said, I wonder if we could have him checked. 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. [27], Masterton was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1985,[28] and named to the NCAA's 50th anniversary team in 1997. "He played that game standing up," Williamson said. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. 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. 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. [16], Few NHL players wore helmets in 1968. Among the new entries was the Minnesota North Stars. Yep, retired by the North Stars and carried over to Dallas. At 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 15, 1968 almost 30 hours after he struck his head on the ice Bill Masterton died at the age of 29. Masterton left pro hockey after two seasons when it appeared hed never make the NHL. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. Men are the way men are.. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. [3] Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness. [26] High schools in Bloomington, where the North Stars played their games, also award scholarships in Masterton's name. 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. After reviewing the document, Dr. Charles Tator, a Toronto neurosurgeon and concussion expert, believes Masterton suffered second impact syndrome, a rare occurrence where a second concussion happens on the heels of a first concussion that never healed, causing rapid and severe brain swelling. 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!". Republication or distribution of this content is 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. His death eventually led to rule changes, but they were not quick in coming. Ive never said this to anyone before, said Wren Blair, Mastertons coach and general manager, now 85. It got deathly quiet.". That's what men did. Almost 30 hours later, Bill Masterton was dead at the age of 29. . While much in hockey has changed since Masterton died, one thing hasnt: Playing hurt is a sacred principle. 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. He was traded the following season to Chicago. Still, it's very hard because I made the play. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. "There's no doubt in my mind about that," Boudrias said. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blairs decision. — -- Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. They didn't. We are the premier subreddit to talk everything hockey! 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. For the 1979-80 season, the league finally made helmets mandatory for new players -- allowing those who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979, the option not to wear them -- but it would be 18 years before every NHL player complied. Like Masterton, Laperriere earned an unlikely place in the pros with grit. He briefly played in the Montreal Canadiens organization before settling in Minnesota where he played senior hockey. As dramatic music replaced a play-by-play call of the incident, the video moved backwards in slow motion until just before Laperrieres face absorbed the slapshot. . "[Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.". 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. 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. Ken Lindgren, a fan watching the play about 10 rows up in the stands just above the blue line, can still visualize the impact. "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" 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