COLUMBUS, Ohio — Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan has made team history after winning the 2024-2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Monahan was a finalist for the trophy alongside Marc-Andre Fleury of the Minnesota Wild and Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche.

What You Need To Know

The 30-year-old is the first Blue Jackets player in history to receive the award

Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of Blue Jackets Johnny Gaudreau, presented the award to Monahan

Monahan played in 54 games this season and registered 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points

The 30-year-old is the first Blue Jackets player in history to receive the award, which is given annually to the player that best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

According to the NHL, Monahan received the award on Thursday from Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of Blue Jackets’ Johnny Gaudreau who died alongside his brother Matthew while on a bike ride when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver ahead of the season.

“This is so important to me because Sean is so important to John, and John is so important to Sean,” she said in a news release. “You don’t hear John’s name without thinking of Sean and you don’t hear Sean’s name without thinking of John. They’re best friends, they’re brothers.”

Monahan played in 54 games this season and registered 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points. He had 20 penalty minutes, 128 shots on goal and a +19 plus/minus rating. Monahan tied for third on Columbus for scoring. 

“John knows I don’t like the spotlight or attention, so I feel like he’s probably watching down on that moment and laughing at me,” Monahan said in a news release. “Having Meredith come down, having three kids at home to surprise me, is something that I’ll be thankful for forever. Was a lot of emotions right away and very special for her to come and make the effort to come present that to me.”

For winning the trophy, a $2,500 grant from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association was awarded to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund in his name.

“Winning that Bill Masterton Trophy means a lot to me,” Monahan said. “It’s a real big honor. It’s a lot of special names on that Trophy and the meaning behind it is something I take great pride in day-to-day life being on a team, being a father, a husband. It’s a special thing and obviously fresh right now, but something I’m definitely going to be reflecting on a lot.”

Monahan is now the sixth Blue Jacket player to capture a major National Hockey League award.