Sixteen years ago, Mark Giordano was an undrafted junior player considering going to university. A year ago, he was one of the oldest (and dominant) Norris Trophy winners in NHL history. Now? He’s one of 31 nominees 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. The award is named after the late Bill Masterton, who passed away in 1968 following injuries sustained in a game.