On Tuesday, the NHL revealed the winner of the Mark Messier Leadership Award. On Wednesday, they announced that goaltender Connor Ingram is the recipient of the 2024 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
The 27-year-old was mired in the minors early on in his career before stepping aside in 2021 to treat a previously undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder and lingering depression, entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He returned for the 2021-22 season, making his NHL debut with Nashville while putting up strong numbers with AHL Milwaukee.
That performance was enough for Arizona to put in a claim for him on waivers in 2022-23, a move that worked out well for both sides. After a slow start, Ingram played to a respectable .907 SV% on a rebuilding team while posting a 3.37 GAA. That was enough for the Coyotes to give him a three-year, $5.85M contract last summer. He rewarded them by maintaining that same save percentage while shaving 45 points off his GAA while playing in a career-best 50 games, positioning himself as the starter heading into their first season in Utah.
Other finalists for the award were Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen and Calgary defenseman Oliver Kylington. Andersen returned after missing most of the season due to blood clots while Kylington was away from the team for more than a year and a half for mental health reasons before returning this season.
The NHL will now take a bit of time off from announcing its award winners. Next up on the schedule will be Saturday when the Selke Trophy winner will be revealed.
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