The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is an annual award under the trusteeship of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is given "to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."
The winner is selected in a poll of all chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season.
A grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the name of the Masterton Trophy winner.
The trophy was presented by the NHL Writers' Association in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill 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 game.
The trophy was first awarded following the 1967-68 season. Players from the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers have won five times; the Boston Bruins are next with four.
