Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier has been nominated for the 2024 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, selected by the members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier has been nominated for the 2024 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, selected by the members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier has been nominated for the 2024 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, selected by the members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
This trophy is awarded to a "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey," which all apply heavily to Couturier, who missed about two years of playing due to a back injury that required surgery. As part of his return to the Flyers during the 2023-24, Couturier was named captain in February.
If he wins, he will be the fifth Flyers player to receive the award, after Bobby Clarke, Tim Kerr, Ian Laperriere, and Oskar Lindblom.
Couturier, who has spent his entire career with the Flyers, has long been a fan favorite, and has earned a massive amount of respect from people in all levels of the Flyers organization.
"He's a crusty old pro," head coach John Tortorella said of Couturier in February. "He's a huge part of this. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and how he's handled this year after taking two years off."
Current Flyers GM and former teammate (and housemate) Danny Briere said that, when Couturier moved in with him when he first got drafted at 18 years old, "he was way more mature and way more advanced than any 18-year-old I had ever seen before in my life...if you would have said 12 years down the road, he's going to be your captain, I would not have been surprised. Very mature and advanced for his age. He was a pro already...He just got it."
"There's a reason why he's the captain of this team," teammate Joel Farabee said on Wednesday. "Even before he got hurt, he was so important to the team and you just see how hard he's worked these last two years to get his body back and a lot of stuff that you guys probably don't see—just how hard he's worked and the time he's put in to get back into the NHL and back to playing.
"He's definitely someone I've always looked up to since I came into the league. He's been a great friend and a really good leader...I know a lot of stuff is going on with him, but you guys don't see all the time and the effort and how much he cares."
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