Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom received the 2021 Bill Masterton Trophy, capping an inspiring return from his battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
Lindblom named 2021 Masterton Trophy winner
The Pro Hockey Writers Associated voted on the Masterton Trophy, awarded to Lindblom for being the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
Matt Dumba (Minnesota Wild) and Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks) joined Lindblom as the three Masterton Trophy finalists.
Bobby Ryan won the Masterton Trophy in 2019-20. Ryan introduced Lindblom as the 2021 Masterton Trophy winner on Tuesday:
2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner, Bobby Ryan, announces the 2021 winner, @oskarlindblom! #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/v5WGryMnSM
— NHL (@NHL) June 15, 2021
Here’s a quick rundown of what Lindblom went through between his diagnosis and winning the Masterton, with some help from the NHL.
- In December 2019, Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma.
- His Flyers teammates quickly banded behind him, wearing #OskarStrong shirts.
- By July 2020, Lindblom celebrated the end of his treatments when he rang a ceremonial bell.
- Remarkably, Lindblom appeared in two games in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- He ended up playing in most of the 2020-21 regular season, and Lindblom remained cancer-free after a scan in March 2021.
2021 NHL Award finalists, winners:
King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner: Pekka Rinne; other finalists: Kurtis Gabriel, P.K. Subban
Bill Masterton Trophy winner: Oskar Lindblom; other finalists: Matt Dumba, Patrick Marleau
Vezina Trophy: Marc-Andre Fleury, Philipp Grubauer, Andrei Vasilevskiy
Ted Lindsay Award: Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid
Calder Memorial Trophy: Kirill Kaprizov, Alex Nedeljkovic, Jason Robertson
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Auston Matthews, Jaccob Slavin, Jared Spurgeon
Selke Trophy: Aleksander Barkov, Patrice Bergeron, Mark Stone
Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award: Renee Hess, Kevin Hodgson, Howard Smith
Norris Trophy: Adam Fox, Victor Hedman, Cale Makar
Hart Trophy: Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.