There were disparate reasons neither Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey nor Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had the NHL season they anticipated.
The former suffered through injuries and the death of his older brother to brain cancer while spending most of the season in the AHL. The latter had his longstanding place as king of the nets taken by a younger player. Both might be forced to continue their NHL careers with new teams next season.
But both were honored on Tuesday as their team’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication as voted upon by the respective chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.