WASHINGTON, April 8. /TASS/. Russian hockey star and Washington Capitals’ captain Alexander Ovechkin has been nominated by his club for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, US journalist Sammi Silber wrote on her X social network account on Wednesday.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy has been awarded annually since 1968 to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport of hockey. The trophy was named after Canadian-American player Bill Masterton, who is notably the only player in NHL history to die from injuries sustained during game play.
Each NHL club nominates a single player from its team for the Bill Masterton award. This year, the Washington Capitals nominated Ovechkin for the second year in a row. No Russian player has ever won the award in its 58-year history.
A Washington branch of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) issued a statement later saying that: "In Alex Ovechkin’s 21st season with the Capitals, and after breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record a season ago, he continues to play with the same passion and dedication he has given to the game since entering the league in 2005."
"At 40 years old, Ovechkin continues to be an integral part of the Capitals’ locker room. And on the ice, Ovechkin leads the team in goals and has made history again this season, hitting 1,000 career goals combining regular season and playoffs and tying Gordie Howe for the most 25-goal seasons in NHL history," the statement continued.
