Calgary Flames defender Chris Tanev didn’t take a traditional route to the National Hockey League. Passed over in the NHL Draft, he emerged from the Rochester Institute of Technology (not a typical NCAA powerhouse) to become an NHL regular. He’s become a stabilizing force on the Flames blueline, serves as an alternate captain, and he’s enjoying a career year offensively.
Tanev has been nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, as selected by the Calgary chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Selected annually by the full membership of the PHWA (from a pool of nominees chosen by each local chapter), the Masterton Trophy is given to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.