Mike Matheson did not get my first-place vote to be the Canadiens\u2019 nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, but the veteran defenceman is very worthy of the honour.<\/p>\n
The award is presented each season to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Montreal members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Canadiens\u2019 nominee.<\/p>\n
Over the years, the Masterton Trophy has become like a comeback-player-of-the-year award, but that\u2019s not what it was intended to be, and Montreal members of the PHWA were reminded of that before voting.<\/p>\n
Matheson won the Canadiens\u2019 nomination after receiving eight of 15 first-place votes, along with four second-place votes and one third-place vote for 33 points. Brendan Gallagher finished second with six first-place votes, four second-place votes and three third-place votes for 29 points, and Alexandre Texier finished third with three second-place votes and three third-place votes for nine points.<\/p>\n
Gallagher, 33, who is in his 14th season with the Canadiens, received my first-place vote. He is the oldest player on the team and is battling hard to keep a spot on the roster<\/a> after overcoming numerous injuries during his career. While Father Time and injuries have taken a toll on Gallagher, his compete level remains off the charts.<\/p>\n Matheson, in his 11th NHL season and his fourth with the Canadiens, received my second-place vote. The 32-year-old leads the team in ice time with an average of 24:13 per game. Since joining the Canadiens, Matheson has transformed himself from an offensive-minded defenceman who quarterbacked the power play to a top defensive blue-liner and penalty-killer while still contributing offensively with 7-30-37 totals this season. He has a team-first mentality and has done whatever has been asked of him by the Canadiens during their rebuilding process without ever complaining.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n My third-place vote went to Joe Veleno. The 26-year-old has transformed himself into a physical bottom-six forward this season<\/a> after being the only Quebec player ever granted exceptional-player status to play major-junior in the QMJHL at age 15 and then being a first-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings (30th overall) at the 2018 NHL Draft. The Montreal native signed a one-year, US$900,00 contract with the Canadiens as a free agent last summer \u2014 slightly above the NHL minimum of US$775,000.<\/p>\n Matheson said he was pleasantly surprised to be the Canadiens\u2019 nominee for the Masterton Trophy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a big honour, and I think there were a lot of different people on the team that could be nominated for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Indeed.<\/p>\n Matheson learned to skate when he was 2 and his road to the NHL started a year later, when he played ringette on the same team with his sister, Kelly, who is five years older. Matheson grew up in Pointe-Claire and Hockey West Island wouldn\u2019t accept players until they were 5, so he started with ringette instead.<\/p>\n Matheson\u2019s father, Rod, wouldn\u2019t let him play hockey 12 months a year as a child, so he played some soccer, but preferred football. He was named the\u00a0offensive\u00a0MVP as a running back with the mosquito Triple-A Lakeshore Cougars in 2005.<\/p>\n Hockey became a 12-month-a-year commitment for Matheson around the time he started playing midget Triple-A with the Lac St. Louis Lions.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s definitely really important to do that (play different sports),\u201d Matheson said. \u201cI\u2019m doing it with my own son and if my daughter wants to play hockey, it will be the same with her. It\u2019s fun to be able to play other sports and have other passions and keep that fire for the one that you love the most.\u201d<\/p>\n The passion for hockey still burns bright with Matheson.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day I wake up, I know I\u2019m really lucky to do this as a profession and that gives me a lot of energy, too,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the love of the game is No. 1.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like if you don\u2019t love what you\u2019re doing \u2014 regardless of what it is \u2014 it\u2019s hard to get up and get going for it,\u201d he added. \u201cSo I feel like that carries you a long way and just being super dedicated. Whether it\u2019s playing your hardest every night in the game when everybody\u2019s watching, or I train by myself all summer and there\u2019s nobody watching that. So being able to really bring an effort to every single workout and every time you\u2019re on the ice is important.\u201d<\/p>\n Matheson gave credit to his wife, Emily, for his success in the NHL. They met 14 years ago when they were both playing hockey at Boston College. Emily won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2018 Olympics as well as four IIHF world championships. She also played professionally for the Buffalo Beauts in the NWHL before hanging up her skates to focus on raising the couple\u2019s two young children.<\/p>\n Matheson\u2019s biggest goal now is to win a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens, the team he grew up cheering for.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup,\u201d he said. \u201cSo not only to see that as a fan, but as a player \u2026 to think about being part of that is really special.\u201d<\/p>\n