The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded every year by the NHL to the player who best embodies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game of hockey. Each team nominates one player which is then decided by the Professional Hockey Writers Association through a vote as they must decide the winner as well as two finalists. The list of 32 nominees was put out on the 25th of April, and Kevin Hayes was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers after the roller-coaster year he has had to endure and persevere through.
Kevin Hayes’ 2021-22 season has truly shown the type of character and the amount of grit he possesses. It started when his older brother Jimmy, tragically passed away on the 21st of August. Hayes also had to undergo surgery last May after it was discovered that he had a core muscle tear. The surgery was successful, but he re-injured it in September right before training camp. Upon his return to the lineup, after missing 12 games, Hayes realized something was still wrong as his game dropped even further. He wasn’t able to make the same plays with relative ease and he felt a lot slower. It turned out that the surgical area had been infected and it spread all throughout his groin. He remained in the lineup for the next 20 games before exiting once more, this time in January, to tend to his injury. Once more, he had to go under the knife for another surgery, this time to clean and clear up the infected area.
After missing out on almost two months of hockey, Hayes returned to the lineup for a second time on the 5th of March ahead of their game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Up until that point, Hayes had only managed to record 3 goals and 9 points in 20 games, but upon his return he looked like a totally different player; one that resembled his 2019-20 self. In the 24 games since, Hayes has scored 6 goals and 20 points, which is easily the best on the team in that time, while also averaging 19:14 of ice time.
Kevin Hayes has had the support of his family, the Flyers organization, as well as the hockey world during the his terrible ordeal, including fellow teammates and friends in Keith Yandle, Cam Atkinson, and James van Riemsdyk. He has credited the nomination to all those that have helped him this season and with what he has had to go through.
“It’s an individual award but it’s definitely not possible without my family, my teammates, my coaches and this entire organization. Players around the league, the fans in Philly. Its insane, the support I’ve received these months. I’m truly grateful to everyone that’s tried to reach out to me.”
The Masterton Trophy is a great award to win but it’s also very difficult with 32 nominees and all the unique stories that each nominee carries. However in saying that, if Hayes were to win, he would be the 5th player in franchise history to bring home the award. Flyers players that have been awarded the Masterton before are Bobby Clarke in 1971-72, Tim Kerr in 1988-89, Ian Laperriere in 2010-11, and most recently Oskar Lindblom in 2020-21.
