Today, the NHL announced that the PHWA Boston chapter nominated Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
This award is given yearly to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Here's the PHWA Boston statement, from chair Joe Haggerty:
"As Charlie himself would admit, it has been a challenging calendar year for him with painful injuries and intense discomfort after repeatedly getting hit in the mouth area with blasted pucks, sharp elbows, and the glass over the boards in one case,” said Haggerty. “It all started with a slapped puck to the face in November that left him with a fractured jaw and numerous lost teeth.
"Through it all, he has endured the pain at times when he couldn’t even chew solid food and did all of this while posting the best season of his NHL career and winning a gold medal for Team USA in Milan-Cortina.
"His season of pushing through it all showed everybody what words like ‘perseverance’ and ‘dedication to hockey’ really mean, and it helped catapult Boston back into the playoff hunt this year.”
McAvoy has already set a career-high for points with 11 goals and 60 points in 67 games this season.
He's been a massive part of why the Bruins have turned things around this season, within a whisker of clinching a playoff berth.