The Flames announced today that Justin Kirkland has been nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by the Calgary chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA). The annual award goes to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Calgary Chapter of the PHWA on Justin Kirkland
Justin Kirkland was one of the best stories of the fall — a guy who’d refused to give up on his NHL dream, with a shootout move that seldom seemed to fail. Kirkland scored his first career goal at age 28. That memorable marker came during an Oct. 13, 2024, victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Hockey Night in Canada. It was a well-deserved reward after spending most of the previous eight seasons in the minors and recovering from head trauma and other injuries he sustained in a motor-vehicle accident as he was driving to a game with the Anaheim Ducks in 2023. Kirkland was establishing himself as a full-timer with the Flames, and was three-for-four on shootout attempts, when he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in late November. As he promised in a social-media post: “My path has never been a smooth one, so best believe I will take this challenge head on.”
The Calgary chapter of the PHWA is pleased to nominate Justin Kirkland for the 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
- Calgary Chapter, Professional Hockey Writers Association
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was first presented by the NHL Writers Association in 1968 to commemorate the late William Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars who exhibited, to a high degree, the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968 after an injury sustained during a hockey game. Two Flames have won the trophy, Lanny McDonald in 1983 and Gary Roberts in 1996.
