ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Each year, every NHL team has one player nominated who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey" and for the St. Louis Blues this year that man is Jay Bouwmeester. He's up for the 2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The 36-year-old won his first career Stanley Cup with the Blues last year and was top-five on the team this season in average ice time per game. Although the entire NHL season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bouwmeester's season ended even earlier after he collapsed on the bench and went into cardiac arrest during a game in Anaheim on Feb. 11. He was rushed to the hospital and had a cardioverter defibrillator implanted into his chest. He stayed there for a few days before returning to St. Louis.
The Masterton 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." It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game.
"I think I've accomplished a lot of the things I set out when I was young. I'm proud of a lot of the team accomplishments. I've tried to be a good teammate," Bouwmeester says. "I've experienced a lot of good things."
He's won a Stanley Cup Championship and Olympic gold medal in his career and says there's nothing really left to be accomplished in his career, but stopped short of saying he has thought about retirement.