Corey Crawford is the Blackhawks' nominee for the 2019 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, annually awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport, as voted upon by the team's chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
The 34-year-old goaltender missed nearly 10 months with a concussion dating back to December of 2017, worked all training camp to get back in shape and returned this season after missing the first five games. He went 6-14-2 with a 3.28 goals against average and .902 save percentage in 23 appearances before being sidelined again on Dec. 16 with his second known concussion.
After missing 28 games, Crawford made his second comeback on Feb. 27 against the Anaheim Ducks. And since then, he's 7-4-1 with a 2.23 goals against average, .925 save percentage and one shutout in 12 starts. He's been one of the biggest bright spots for the Blackhawks down the stretch.
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Only two other Blackhawks have been presented with the Masterton Trophy: Pit Martin (1969-70) and Bryan Berard (2003-04). The 31 nominees will be narrowed to three finalists in a poll by the PHWA members, and the winner will be announced at the NHL Awards in June.
Brian Boyle was the recipient of the award last season after he was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia, a type of bone marrow cancer, at the start of training camp and returned on Nov. 1. He went on to record 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 69 games for the playoff-bound New Jersey Devils.
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