The tUB team was all over the place with the Masterton. We had eight players receiving a vote and only two players receiving multiple votes. This speaks to a few things, chief of which is no obvious Josh Harding-like candidate (the Wild netminder battling MS). But to me, it also shows that this is a team built around guys who are very dedicated to the game of hockey, with a number of players persevering through age, injury, doubt, or just losing. This is a resilient bunch, and there were a number of very worthy candidates who didn’t even get a vote (Jack Johnson, Adrian Aucoin, and Cam Atkinson come to mind). However, we did manage to choose a victor….
WINNER: Vinny Prospal
AlisonL (1): “I feel like Vinny’s going to get a lot of nods for a lot of honors. Vaclav’s age alone is a testament to his ongoing dedication to the game and this team. If he’s hurt we never knew about it – he showed up to every skate, every practice, and every GAME – leading the team in points. As far as sportsmanship – Vinny has been integral in changing the attitude of this team. A guy who celebrates every goal – practice or no – and literally stops to instruct others to do the same, is definitely someone who is part of other players now saying “this has been the most fun they’ve had playing hockey”. The meme this year was “Prospal Points at Things” – for the Masterson, I point to Vinny.”
Canadan (2): “I think this is a pretty obvious choice. Throughout his long career, Prospal has made his presence felt, and Columbus is no exception. His tenacity on the ice and his mentality around the game and winning has transformed the attitude of the players around him.”
CBJProspects (1): “Our real Masterson nominee, Vinny, is a perfect candidate because he’s personifies all the Masterson criteria: Perseverence – you don’t last as long as Vinny has without that. Sportsmanship…ok the Detroit Red Wings may disagree on this one and as for dedication to hockey, is there a Jacket that works harder/has more fun that Vinny?
Runner Up: Matt Calvert
AlisonL (2): “Last year it was only a handful of games that had Matty in Columbus. But Mr. Hustle persevered and built up his frame, his game and his energy to earn a permanent spot with the big club. The guy’s game is all about challenging his team to be better and raising the bar. If that isn’t motivated by a dedication to the game, I don’t know what is. As far as sportsmanship – think back to the shock when Matty actually got in a fight on ice – the first of his NHL career. The recent Calvert extension, another beautiful JD/Jarmo contract, ensures we’ll see Matty here for at least two more years. I doubt his work ethic and performance do anything but improve.”
CBJProspects (2): “Matty Hustle himself. Ok maybe Matt works harder than Vinny but his work ethic is why we like him so much. That goes with his perseverance – because of his size he’s gotta work harder than most.”
Honorable Mention: Sergei Bobrovsky
Canadan (1): “Struggling to make his presence felt in Philadelphia, Bob embraced the challenge in Columbus and quickly became the unconditional starter. Often praised for his tireless efforts and technically sound play, I believe he is a prime candidate for the Masterton.”
Honorable Mention: Mark Letestu
The Coach (1): “This is a bit of a career achievement award for Letestu. He’s just such an unlikely player to reach the level of play he’s at this year. Not only was he undrafted, he barely even played Junior hockey in his draft eligible season (just 11 games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League). Not only was he not on NHL radars at that point, he barely would have been on NCAA teams radars. After three more years of increasing success he finally joined Western Michigan University (not exactly a powerhouse) as a 21 year old freshman. A huge year there led to him signing as a free agent with Pittsburgh, where he worked his way up from the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins of the AHL, to being a bit player on the Pens. Dumped unceremoniously to Columbus for a pick, Letestu continued to persevere, working hard to become a better player, all done with class.”
Honorable Mention: Derek Mackenzie
The Coach (2): “Like Letestu, DMac is my nominee in major part due to how hard he had to work and how much he had to persevere to make the NHL. A 5th round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers, Mackenzie was a 40 goal scorer in the OHL. He had to completely reinvent his game over the course of his near decade spent in the AHL. Most pro hockey players start to fade on the NHL dream after nine years in the minors, jumping to Europe for bigger money. Mackenzie used that time to become the consummate grinder. He’s continued that play in Columbus over the last three years, as he HAS to play that way to earn an NHL paycheque. Not easy to do, let alone without fighting or general tough behaviour.”
Honorable Mention: Jared Boll
The Coach (3): “I’m sure this pick will raise some eyebrows, especially in comparison to my other picks. I’ve been a huge critic of Boll’s play over the years, but I thought he was an acceptable fourth line hockey player when paired with Blake Comeau and Derek Mackenzie. He’s worked hard to become more than just a fighter. Further, he finished this season with a very bad hernia, something not easy to play with for any player, let alone a guy as physical as Boll. Beyond all this though, is that he has spent years being the Jackets fighter, constantly taking on guys much bigger than him. Believe me, that is a huge mental toll. It takes lot of dedication to continuously do that night after night, year after year.”
Honorable Mention: Nick Foligno
CBJProspects (3): “Foligno never took a shift off all season despite seeming snakebit at times when it comes to scoring. As for sportsmanship and dedication to hockey was there a Jacket that was in tv and radio as much as Frank?”
Honorable Mention: Fedor Tyutin
AlisonL (3): “This is my surprise pick. I choose Fedor because I think he’s been with the organization long enough to know where we’ve come from. To say we need to change is easy, to actually CHANGE is hard. Tyuts put in the time, and, like Vinny, played every single game this season – even though we knew he suffered bangs and bruises along the way. Also, as far as sportsmanship – I see Fedor’s contributions here to be internal to the org. Tyuts’, while not vocal publicly, showed a dedication to this team and the sport by welcoming new Russians to our team and with the performance Anisimov and Bob brought, providing a level of understanding and belonging for these guys in a shortened season certainly helped.”
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