Perseverance, sportsmanship, dedication. Those are the three defining characteristics of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an annual award that goes to the NHL player who best captures these qualities.
This season, Utah’s nominee easily hits all three. Alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev, in his ninth NHL season, has become a dominant player on the ice, and leader off of it. However, his journey took a turn on Feb. 7, 2024, when he suffered a severe leg injury. Sergachev missed 51 games during the 2023-24 season and 2024 playoffs. After surgery and dedicating himself to his recovery, Sergachev returned during the Tampa Bay Lightning’s playoff run. The injury taught the veteran defenseman about his support system and his strength.
“I think I’m stronger than I think I am,” Sergachev explained. “That I have a lot of friends and supporters and guys who deeply care about me. When you just play you don’t really realize that but when you’re at your lowest, you really get to see people, so it was nice.”