As a 29-year-old professional U.S. kickboxing champion, the younger Mastertons career ended with a slip and fall in the ring against the then British champion on the very date Jan. 15th of his fathers death, also at the age of 29. . Boudrias helped the team's trainer onto the ice to tend to Masterton. "What killed this man was second-impact syndrome.". Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the. The Hennepin County medical examiner found evidence of a previous injury on the left side of Masterton's skull on the temporal region of the brain. People said I was crazy, but Im like, They brought me here to show the young guys the right way, said the 37-year-old Laperriere, who had signed with Philly before the 2009-10 season. "You hold out four fingers. Still, it's very hard because I made the play. But that has not happened fast enough for a group of more than 120 ex-NHL players, including Bernie Nicholls, Mike Peluso and Steve Payne, who are suing the league in a class-action suit for putting their neurological health at risk despite knowing the violent play involved. [3] He had 31 goals and 65 points for Hull-Ottawa,[1] placing him in the top ten in both categories. [3] Some 30 hours after his fall, on January 15, Masterton died without ever regaining consciousness. ", North Stars coach Wren Blair describes Masterton's qualities as a player. said Masterton's son, Scott, now 50. Thirty hours later, he was dead in. "There's no doubt in my mind about that," Boudrias said. "Helmets are great to absorb blunt impact, but when the brain is spinning, helmets don't help the spinning contents slow down," Corry said. Id said to our trainer, Do you ever look at Billy when the games on? Blair recalled. One of their sticks tangled with Masterton's skates as he slid a pass to his wing, and he lost his balance, pitching forward. Yet that might not actually be the case. Talk centered on the divisive topic of helmets. They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. His eyes were gray at the time it was like a horror picture, Boudrias says. Back at the 1968 All-Star Game, discussion among beat writers went beyond the helmet debate to come up with a way to commemorate the league's first casualty. On that fatal night at Met Center on Jan. 13, 1968, the Minnesota North Stars center, playing against the Oakland Seals, carried the puck across the blue line and cut to the right while Seals defensemen Larry Cahan and Ron Harris closed in. The specter of Mastertons death hung over the NHL All-Star Game, which was played in Toronto the next day, Jan. 16, 1968. RIP Bill Masterton. "His eyes were gray at the time -- it was like a horror picture," Boudrias says. I saw Bills head after he was just checked from behind and it just looked like his eyes were in the back of his head, she said. That dream carried him through junior hockey in his hometown of Winnipeg and three years at the University of Denver, where he was an All-American and led the Pioneers to the 1961 NCAA championship, but the dream stalled after two years of minor league hockey in the Montreal Canadiens' organization. My interpretation is that the seeds of this catastrophic injury were sown days before.. The specter of Masterton's death hung over the NHL All-Star Game, which was played in Toronto the next day, Jan. 16, 1968. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. He had kept fit by playing on a barnstorming amateur team, the St. Paul Steers, and with the U.S. national team. Yet that might not actually be the case. 19, a tradition the franchise continued to honor when it moved and became the Dallas Stars. -- Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. He was a rarity in the way he prepared for a life outside the game. Corry does not think the amount of swelling would have been caused from the singular impact at Met Center. Typical of the attitude of the day, North Stars coach Wren Blair frowned on the practice. If anyone is wondering his story here's a short video TSN did on him https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh_uLi6Bf7s and here is a list of the previous winners of the trophy named after him. He made the North Stars and scored the first goal in franchise history. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. Injury wasnt really of any importance in the sense that you didnt want to lose your job and if you couldnt play, obviously they had to fill their roster, said Walton, now a real estate agent in Toronto. He admits he lied to team doctors about his post-concussion issues in order to return for a shot at the Stanley Cup. [3] Masterton was promoted to the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the 196263 season, where he led the team with 82 points. Corry believes Masterton's death could have been prevented -- and would be today. Nor did he see evidence of CTE, the progressive degenerative disease found posthumously in the brains of nearly 87 of 91 NFL players who suffered multiple blows to the head. — -- Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. If the guy only sees two, you send him back out there because it doesn't matter anyway. Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game. His death eventually led to rule changes, but they were not quick in coming. I thought he was out then and just went fast right down.. Fear, plain and simple, said Mike Walton, a Maple Leafs rookie when Masterton died. And in Masterton's case, it probably cost him his life. Yeah was going to say maybe the only death by a player, not in general. The team doctor soon joined him. "[10], Turning to professional hockey after graduating with an engineering degree,[9] Masterton signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens in 1961. A team of doctors at the hospital treated Masterton with steroids and diuretics, but the swelling in his brain was so swift and severe that they decided against operating. Masterton was soft-spoken and modest, a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. In the week before his last game, Masterton had complained to his wife and several teammates about headaches. Helmets are great to absorb blunt impact, but when the brain is spinning, helmets dont help the spinning contents slow down, Corry said. Like Masterton, Laperriere earned an unlikely place in the pros with grit. Thats what men did. Even as Walter Bush, one of the North Star owners, saw him lying motionless on the ice, he did not think Masterton had sustained a concussion. "He played that game standing up," Williamson said. asked Williamson, who has a photo hanging in his office of Masterton on the stretcher. "We watched his head bounce," Lindgren said. A team of doctors at the hospital treated Masterton with steroids and diuretics, but the swelling in his brain was so swift and severe that they decided against operating. Masterton had not told the North Stars' coach, Wren Blair, about his headaches, but Blair had thought something might be amiss and commented to the team trainer, "I wonder if we could have him checked," according to the Toronto Star, which first reported this story on May 28, 2011. When he had headaches early on, we wouldnt have had him on the ice, he said. That's what men did. [26] High schools in Bloomington, where the North Stars played their games, also award scholarships in Masterton's name. "This is an urgent matter," UMC CEO Bill Masterton said. They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. "[Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.". Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. Even as Walter Bush, one of the North Star owners, saw him lying motionless on the ice, he did not think Masterton had sustained a concussion. Died Jan 15 1968 [Age 29] Height 6.00 -- Weight 185 [183 cm/84 kg] Regular Season. But 37 games later, in the days leading up to the hit that would kill him, there were signs all was not right. If the guy only sees two, you send him back out there because it doesnt matter anyway., Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. Since Masterton was off balance at the time he got checked (cleanly; there was no penalty called), his brain twisted inside of his skull before his head struck the ice. "I wouldn't do it.". They thought it took away from the fan experience, masking the identity of players. Masterton was not a marquee player, but he was a skilled playmaker who was willing to work in the corners and be a team player. They and many others claim the league could be doing more to protect its players from returning to action too soon. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He had kept fit by playing on a barnstorming amateur team, the St. Paul Steers, and with the U.S. national team. accessed ), memorial page for William Duncan "Bill" Cromie (24 Apr 1915-20 Feb 2002), Find a Grave Memorial ID 244481111, citing Riverside Cemetery . [5] He was a two-time NCAA All-American and was twice named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Star team, earning both awards in 1960 and 1961. For the 1979-80 season, the league finally made helmets mandatory for new players allowing those who signed professional contracts prior to June 1, 1979, the option not to wear them but it would be 18 years before every NHL player complied. And it changed hockey forever. Bill Masterton's death sparked a long-running debate in hockey about the merits of wearing helmets, as few NHL players did so in that time. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. And he got hit a few games very hard at the NHL level. Usually Masterton is described as the first death caused directly by an on-ice incident to differentiate from Morenz dying of complications. The NHL's expansion from six to 12 teams in 1967-68 rekindled his mothballed dream. When Bill Masterton's limp body collapsed to the ice on Jan. 15, 1968, the Minnesota North Stars centre appeared to be the victim of an innocuous hit. At 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 15, 1968 almost 30 hours after he struck his head on the ice Bill Masterton died at the age of 29. Like most players of his era, he was not wearing a helmet. He died from a coronary embolism caused by blood clots from his damaged leg, so related but not directly because of the injury (he had a heart attack before the coronary embolism). Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. There is evidence of massive brain swelling . Thirty hours later, he was dead in hospital. At 1:55 a.m. on Jan. 15, 1968 -- almost 30 hours after he struck his head on the ice -- Bill Masterton died at the age of 29. I wouldnt do it.. Throughout his college career, right through to his training camp in Memphis, Masterton wore a helmet, a rarity in an age when head protection was dismissed by players and management alike. Boudrias is convinced his insistence on wearing a helmet factored into Blair's decision. The idea that you persevere goes back to time immemorial. He wasnt the most talented guy in the world but he really wanted to play. Only a handful of NHL players wore them at the time, including Masterton's teammate, Boudrias. RIP Bill Masterton. [Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.. In several games prior to the tragedy, Blair had also noticed something strange. Bill Masterton is the only man to die of injuries sustained in a National Hockey League (NHL) game. We are the premier subreddit to talk everything hockey! Among the new entries was the Minnesota North Stars. That's what men did. But that has not happened fast enough for a group of more than 120 ex-NHL players, including Bernie Nicholls, Mike Peluso and Steve Payne, who are suing the league in a class-action suit for putting their neurological health at risk despite knowing the violent play involved. We didn't think it was that serious.". [9] The Pioneers finished the season with a 30-1-1 record and were hailed as "the greatest hockey team to ever represent an American college or university. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. Nor did he see evidence of CTE, the progressive degenerative disease found posthumously in the brains of nearly 87 of 91 NFL players who suffered multiple blows to the head. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games -- on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games -- on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. Corry confirmed the opinion of Dr. Charles Tator, a Toronto neurosurgeon quoted in the Toronto Star article, who also said Masterton showed signs of second-impact syndrome. When the brain hasnt healed completely from a previous injury, a subsequent blow can cause the type of sudden and severe swelling found in Mastertons brain. "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. The season started with promise: Masterton scored the first goal in North Stars history. [1][2] He added eight points in six games during the Memorial Cup playdowns, however St. Boniface failed to reach the national championship final. John Rosengren is the author of Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win. The underlying cause of his death almost 50 years ago elevates awareness about the risks of undiagnosed concussions -- and the NHL's responsibility to address them. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. By "at" an NHL game I'm guessing you just meant players? [14] His wife Carol later recalled that it was a "dream come true" for her husband: "He always wanted a shot at the NHL, and expansion was a wonderful thing for him and guys like him. Realizing he was already gone, Masterton's parents, who had flown in from Winnipeg after they heard of the incident, and his wife, Carol, made the decision to remove Masterton from life support. He remains the last fatality in any professional team sport involving a direct in-game injury in North America. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, NHL Power Rankings: Checking in on each team's 25-and-under core, McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row, Gaudreau scores in shootout, Wild beat Islanders 2-1, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues 5-3, Robinson scores 3 goals in Blue Jackets' 5-3 win over Sabres. A ritual unfolded every Saturday evening in the small Masterton home in Winnipegs East Kildonan neighbourhood: brothers Bill and Bob took a bath, slipped into pajamas and sat together in front of a tiny electric fireplace while listening to Foster Hewitt on the radio. "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" Despite several efforts to mandate their use, it was 11 years before the NHL made them compulsory for all new players beginning in the 1979-80 NHL season . He wanted it badly. Bill Masterton is stretchered off the ice after being hit in a game against the Oakland Seals in 1968. "He played that game standing up," Williamson said. He pursued a masters degree in business engineering, eventually joining technology giant Honeywell, where he worked on the financial end of the Apollo project. Masterton told his friend that he had been having migraines. [14] He and his wife Carol adopted two children, Scott and Sally. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. Corry confirmed the opinion of Dr. Charles Tator, a Toronto neurosurgeon quoted in the Toronto Star article, who also said Masterton showed signs of "second-impact syndrome." "I was asked to take it off," Boudrias said. He and others considered it a sign of weakness. It disappeared during his 38-game career as an NHLer. "[Masterton] probably had some earlier swelling going on, so if he got a second injury, it would be catastrophic.". [16] He is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an injury suffered on the ice. He's also convinced a helmet would have saved Masterton's life. Corry believes Masterton's death could have been prevented -- and would be today. Only NHL Player To Die On Ice Bill John Masterton Https://Tedtalkshockey.com - YouTube 0:00 / 6:28 #Numberonetrending #NHL #Nationalhockeyleague Only NHL Player To Die On Ice Bill John. So has NHL protocol, initiated in 2011, which has spotters to flag potentially concussed players and bans those from returning to games in which they were injured. He is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game, the result of massive head injuries suffered following a hit during a January 13, 1968 contest against the Oakland Seals. The irony is that perseverance probably killed Bill Masterton. He didnt see the other defender, who caught him with a clean check that knocked him backward. Realizing he was already gone, Mastertons parents, who had flown in from Winnipeg after they heard of the incident, and his wife, Carol, made the decision to remove Masterton from life support. Bill Masterton, the only player to die from injuries suffered during an NHL game, might not have died in vain. The night before the Oakland game, Masterton's family gathered at the house of their neighbor, North Star goaltender Cesare Maniago, to celebrate Maniago's 29th birthday. The team also retired his No. When Bill Mastertons limp body collapsed to the ice on Jan. 15, 1968, the Minnesota North Stars centre appeared to be the victim of an innocuous hit. Talk centered on the divisive topic of helmets. He sees both nobility and short-sightedness in the demands placed on hockeys most devoted players. But that has not happened fast enough for a group of more than 120 ex-NHL players, including Bernie Nicholls, Mike Peluso and Steve Payne, who are suing the league in a class-action suit for putting their neurological health at risk despite knowing the violent play involved. He didnt move after that. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. "You hold out four fingers. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution the Story Of Hockey History Bill Masterton a unforchanate hit that lead to his death "It sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball," teammate Andr Boudrias recalled. That was the NHL's code. Even as Walter Bush, one of the North Star owners, saw him lying motionless on the ice, he did not think Masterton had sustained a concussion. "He didn't move after that. ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. All Nowhere was that more apparent than during a standing ovation for Laperriere during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston last year. Yet players such as Masterton learned to play hurt. The rarely told story behind the death of Bill Masterton -- the only NHL player to die from an injury suffered during a game -- highlights the risks and league culpability of concussions. 's top rookie", "Brain injuries takes life of Stars' Bill Masterton", "Star investigation: What really killed NHL's Bill Masterton", "North Star player's death 40 years ago changed the game of hockey forever", "N.H.L. "It's kind of good to hear that because it takes away some of the 'What if?'" He bore the bruises of that hit and others in subsequent games on his left arm, both thighs and, unwittingly, his brain. However, Masterton brushed it off. [1] Masterton led the WCHA in scoring in 195960 with 44 points in conference play,[6] and led Denver to the 1960 NCAA national championship. Nor did he see evidence of CTE, the progressive degenerative disease found posthumously in the brains of nearly 87 of 91 NFL players who suffered multiple blows to the head. Hed got hit and even that night he said Gee, Ive really been getting these migraines and theyve been with me for about a week.. Goaltender Cesare Maniago recalled that the night before the fatal hit, Masterton had been complaining of severe migraines that he had had for over a week. But that has not happened fast enough for a group of more than 120 ex-NHL players, including Bernie Nicholls, Mike Peluso and Steve Payne, who are suing the league in a class-action suit for putting their neurological health at risk despite knowing the violent play involved. When Mastertons head struck the ice at Met Center, there was no skull fracture, but his brain swelled very quickly, evidenced by his dilated pupils and elevated blood pressure which pointed to a previous head injury. When Minnesota executives, who had acquired his rights, invited him to a tryout, Masterton relished the second chance. Yet that might not actually be the case. To order That honour followed the franchise when it relocated south to become the Dallas Stars. Blair, in charge of the North Stars, came calling. When the brain hasn't healed completely from a previous injury, a subsequent blow can cause the type of sudden and severe swelling found in Masterton's brain. Fifty years ago on Jan. 15, 1968 Minnesota North Stars rookie center Bill Masterton died from a head injury suffered 30 hours earlier in a home game against the Oakland Seals. It got deathly quiet.". Only Andre Boudrias had the temerity to challenge it on Minnesota. States the autopsy report: There was a blow to the left temple in a game some days prior to the fatal injury and the deceased is said to have complained of headaches in the left temporal region.. Almost 30 hours later, Bill Masterton was dead at the age of 29. 4 pick Puljujarvi to Canes, Chasing history in Boston: The numbers behind the Bruins' wild 2022-23 season, McDavid, then who? [19] They soon concluded that the injury was too severe for surgery to be a viable option. The night before the Oakland game, Masterton's family gathered at the house of their neighbor, North Star goaltender Cesare Maniago, to celebrate Maniago's 29th birthday. Corry confirmed the opinion of Dr. Charles Tator, a Toronto neurosurgeon quoted in the Toronto Star article, who also said Masterton showed signs of "second-impact syndrome." Men are the way men are.. He understands how passion and perseverance can deliver both glory and death. Only a handful of NHL players wore them at the time, including Masterton's teammate, Boudrias. #nhl #hockeydeath #rip #hockey #sports". [17] Masterton became a naturalized American citizen, allowing him to join the United States National Team in 196667. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. "You know the diagnosis of a concussion back in those days?" He never laid down.. "I'd been knocked out myself playing football. Seven hours later, when the Hennepin County medical examiner performed an autopsy, they discovered the true cause of Masterton's death. It was a no-no in no uncertain terms. Explore Bill Masterton's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. ", Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the ignorance of his time. A college standout with the Denver Pioneers, Masterton was a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship teams in 1960 and 1961, was twice an NCAA All-Star and was the most valuable player of the 1961 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. "You hold out four fingers. Those closest to Masterton concur he was suffering from a brain injury before he stepped on to the ice that night, as does a medical expert who reviewed an autopsy report obtained by the Star. We lived with the accident for many years but did not talk about it.. https://www.hockey-reference.com/awards/masterton.html. He played that game standing up, Williamson said. He starred at the University of Denver from 1957-61, helping the Pioneers win three national collegiate titles and earning tournament MVP honours his senior year. That was the NHL's code. It took the NHL more than a decade to catch up to Boudrias logic. Masterton had not told the North Stars' coach, Wren Blair, about his headaches, but Blair had thought something might be amiss and commented to the team trainer, "I wonder if we could have him checked," according to the Toronto Star, which first reported this story on May 28, 2011. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. What makes hockey players hide their injuries and re-enter games knowing the next hit could spell ruin? He and others considered it a sign of weakness. It got deathly quiet.. [10] Led by Jean Bliveau and Henri Richard, the Canadiens were extremely deep at center, so Masterton was assigned to the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the Eastern Professional Hockey League. [16], Few NHL players wore helmets in 1968. Like many Canadian boys growing up in the '50s, Masterton listened to Saturday night radio broadcasts of "Hockey Night in Canada" and dreamed of Foster Hewitt making the call: "Masterton shoots, he scores!". Republication or distribution of this content is cemeteries found in Masterton, Masterton District, Wellington, . In his memory, the NHL created the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy which it has awarded since 1968 to a player who demonstrates perseverance and dedication to hockey. . "I am convinced he had some type of concussion beforehand," said Dr. Jesse Corry, a specialist in neurocritical care at the John Nasseff Neuroscience Specialty Clinic in St. Paul who studied the autopsy report. Masterton left pro hockey after two seasons when it appeared hed never make the NHL. The underlying cause of his death almost 50 years ago elevates awareness about the risks of undiagnosed concussions -- and the NHL's responsibility to address them. While much in hockey has changed since Masterton died, one thing hasnt: Playing hurt is a sacred principle. He cherished his son, Scott, 3, and daughter, Sally, 1. [18], "Because he had a habit of giving everything he had for every second he was on the ice, Bill was the type of player who didn't have to score a lot of goals to help a club. It was kind of one of those things where I asked the question but I knew what he was going to do. Three years later, only six Minnesota players wore them, the most of any of the NHL's teams. [3], At the age of 29, Masterton made his NHL debut in the North Stars' inaugural game, played October 11, 1967, against the St. Louis Blues. Witnesses . 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Age of 29 please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and subject. Of players also award scholarships in Masterton 's qualities as a player, not in general very... Sport involving a direct in-game injury in North Stars and scored the first death directly. First goal in North America a decade to catch up to Boudrias logic the... Masterton was an unfortunate victim of the 'What if? ' just went fast right down ``! Injury suffered on the stretcher sounded like a horror picture, '' teammate Andr Boudrias.! South to become the Dallas Stars `` his eyes were gray at the NHL 's teams death led!