The Twin Cities chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) announced the nomination of Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The trophy is presented annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Fleury, 40 (11/28/84), has played in 1,048 career games (1,016 starts) across 21 NHL seasons (2003-04, 2005-25), posting a 573-339-97 record with a 2.60 goals-against average (GAA), a .912 save percentage (SV%) and 76 shutouts. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Sorel, Quebec, ranks first all-time among NHL goaltenders in shootout wins (66); second in wins, games played, games started (1,016) and minutes played (60,593:44); and third in saves (29,782). He is the NHL’s active leader in all aforementioned categories. The five-time NHL All-Star selection (2011, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020) owns at least one regular-season victory over all 32 NHL franchises and was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender following the 2020-21 season, when he posted a 26-10-0 record with six shutouts, a 1.98 GAA and a .928 SV%. Fleury has appeared in 23 games (21 starts) this season and owns a 12-9-1 record with a 2.78 GAA, a .903 SV% and one shutout, and is 62-42-10 with a 2.87 GAA, a .903 SV% and five shutouts in 120 games (113 starts) across parts of four seasons (2022-25) with the Wild.
Fleury also owns a 92-74 record in 169 career Stanley Cup Playoff appearances (166 starts) with a 2.56 GAA, a .911 SV% and 16 shutouts. He ranks third all-time among NHL goaltenders in playoff games played, minutes played (10,182:20) and saves made (4,440), while ranking fourth in playoff wins and shutouts. Fleury is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, winning titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Originally selected by Pittsburgh in the first round (first overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft, Fleury played for the Penguins (2003-04, 2005-17), Vegas Golden Knights (2017-21) and Chicago Blackhawks (2021-22) prior to being acquired by Minnesota from Chicago on March 21, 2022, in exchange for a second-round selection (Ryan Greene) in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The winner of the Masterton Trophy is selected by a poll among the 32 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season. NHL writers first presented the trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, as a result of head injuries suffered during a game.
Marco Rossi (2023-24), Mason Shaw (2022-23), Jared Spurgeon (2021-22), Matt Dumba (2020-21), Alex Stalock (2019-20), Ryan Suter (2018-19), Matt Cullen (2017-18), Eric Staal (2016-17), Nate Prosser (2015-16), Devan Dubnyk (2014-15), Josh Harding (2013-14, 2012-13), Clayton Stoner (2011-12), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (2010-11), Guillaume Latendresse (2009-10), Kurtis Foster (2008-09), Aaron Voros (2007-08), Marian Gaborik (2006-07), Wes Walz (2005-06, 2000-01), Alexandre Daigle (2003-04), Dwayne Roloson (2002-03) and Richard Park (2001-02) were previously nominated for the award. Harding was named the 2013 recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on June 14, 2013, to become the first player in Wild history to win a voted-on NHL Award. Dubnyk was also named the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on June 24, 2015 and Dumba was a finalist for the 2021 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
(info courtesy of Wild)
