WINNIPEG – There’s a price to be paid for all NHL awards and no one can question David Backes’ bonafides as the Boston nominee for this season’s Masterton Trophy.
Sidelined by a deep gash to his right thigh on March 17, the veteran Bruins’ winger earlier this season also required colon surgery to clear up complications from a nasty case of diverticulitis. The season, his 12th in the NHL, hasn’t been an outright nightmare, but it has been a test of his physical and psychological resolve.
The Masterton Trophy is presented to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.