Former Flame Sean Monahan named Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner

Sean Monahan is an easy person to like.

He’s well-spoken. He’s polite. He has a really dry, subtly-funny sense of humour. When you speak with him or watch interviews, you can understand why the Calgary Flames were so enthusiastic about drafting him at sixth overall at the 2013 NHL Draft.

Monahan played nine seasons in Calgary, and he was a really good Flame. In the summer of 2022, with Monahan dealing with recurring injury issues and team management looking to make moves to keep the team’s contention window open, the Flames traded Monahan to the Montreal Canadiens. After a brief stopover in Winnipeg, Monahan signed a multi-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2024, with the aim of reuniting with his former Flames teammate and long-time best friend, Johnny Gaudreau.

They were going to play on the same team. They were going to be neighbours. They were going to raise their kids together.

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. On Aug. 29, 2024, Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were struck and killed by a vehicle while biking along a road in rural New Jersey.

In the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy, Monahan persevered. Not only did Monahan press on and play a full season with the Blue Jackets in the wake of such a horrible situation, but he dedicated his season to Gaudreau’s memory and put together a really strong campaign. Undoubtedly playing with a heavy heart, Monahan scored 19 goals and posted 57 points over 54 games.

More importantly, Monahan showed an incredible strength of character at a time when both himself and a ton of individuals around the Blue Jackets (and the hockey world) were hurting.

On Thursday, the National Hockey League announced, via a video on social media, that Monahan has been awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He was presented the award by Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith.