Evgeni Malkin selected as Penguins' Masterton Trophy nominee
Forward Evgeni Malkin was selected Tuesday as the Penguins’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by members of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
The award recognizes “the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
Following a subpar 2018-19 season, Malkin altered his offseason training regimen and emerged as the leading scorer for a 2019-20 Penguins team hampered by an outbreak of injuries and illnesses. In 55 regular-season games, Malkin had 74 points (25 goals, 49 assists). His 1.35 points per game were fifth most in the NHL.
“His whole season is indicative of his dedication to the game,” coach Mike Sullivan said during a phone interview with the Tribune-Review on Tuesday. “(Malkin) is a proud guy. He takes his job very seriously and his contribution to the Penguins. From Day 1 when he came back in training camp, he’s been on a mission to be at his very best to help the Penguins win. It’s very reflective in his play. He’s as dominant as he’s been, certainly in my tenure as coach of the Penguins.
“What the coaching staff has really admired about Malkin in this year in particular is just his commitment on both sides of the puck. He’s really working at his game away from the puck and his team game. That’s a really important aspect of helping us win. In a challenging year in which we had some key injuries to key guys for long periods of time, (Malkin) is a guy that stepped up and elevated his game to help us find success. He’s very deserving.”
Forwards Mario Lemieux (1993) and Lowell MacDonald (1973) are the only members of the Penguins to win the award.
First given out in 1968, the trophy is named after a Minnesota North Stars forward who died that same year as a result of a head injury suffered during a game.
All 31 chapters of the PHWA nominate a player for the award before voting selects a winner. Under normal circumstances, winners of all the NHL’s individual trophies are announced in June following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The NHL has not indicated when this season’s awards will be distributed in light of the ongoing hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Defenseman Stephen Johns, a native of Wampum, was selected as the Dallas Stars’ nominee. After missing parts of three seasons because of lingering concussion issues, Johns returned to the Stars’ lineup this season in January. In 17 games, he has five points (two goals, three assists).
Each team’s nominee:
Anaheim Ducks — Ryan Miller
Arizona Coyotes — Conor Garland
Boston Bruins — Kevan Miller
Buffalo Sabres — Curtis Lazar
Calgary Flames — Mark Giordano
Carolina Hurricanes — James Reimer
Chicago Blackhawks — Corey Crawford
Colorado Avalanche — Ryan Graves
Columbus Blue Jackets — Nathan Gerbe
Dallas Stars — Stephen Johns
Detroit Red Wings — Robby Fabbri
Edmonton Oilers — Connor McDavid
Florida Panthers — Noel Acciari
Los Angeles Kings — Jonathan Quick
Minnesota Wild — Alex Stalock
Montreal Canadiens — Shea Weber
Nashville Predators — Jarred Tinordi
New Jersey Devils — Travis Zajac
New York Islanders — Thomas Hickey
New York Rangers — Henrik Lundqvist
Ottawa Senators — Bobby Ryan
Philadelphia Flyers — Oskar Lindblom
Pittsburgh Penguins — Evgeni Malkin
San Jose Sharks — Joe Thornton
St. Louis Blues — Jay Bouwmeester
Tampa Bay Lightning — Alex Killorn
Toronto Maple Leafs — Zach Hyman
Vancouver Canucks — Jacob Markstrom
Vegas Golden Knights — Shea Theodore
Washington Capitals — Michal Kempny
Winnipeg Jets — Mark Letestu
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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