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Foligno Gets Masterton Nod From Boston PHWA Chapter

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Boston Bruins winger Nick Foligno is your 2023 Bruins nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy.

The Bill Masterton Trophy is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The trophy is named after Bill Masterton, the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game.

Foligno was voted as the Boston Bruins nominee by the Boston chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

“Whether it’s through his hard-nosed, determined play or his leadership, or simply the smile and joy for hockey that he brings to the rink with him every day, I can’t think of a more fitting candidate for the Masterton Trophy than Nick Foligno,” Boston Hockey Now Bruins reporter/columnist and Professional Hockey Writers Association Boston Chapter Chair Joe Haggerty said in a press release.

“He showed his determination and perseverance in battling back from injuries to play a key role for the Boston Bruins this season, and his dedication to ice hockey and sportsmanship are on display every time he laces up the skates,” Haggerty added. “We are proud to announce Nick Foligno as our 2023 Bruins nominee for consideration for the Masterton Trophy.”

An assortment of injuries limited Foligno to just 64 games as he had a career-low in goals (2), and assists (11), during his first season with the Boston Bruins in 2021-22. This season though, the 35-year-old, 6-foot, 210-pound winger has bounced back and become a key part of the Bruins on and off the ice. Before suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 27, Foligno had 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 games this season. He also led the team in hits with 147 and had a career-best plus-18 rating.

On Saturday, the Boston Bruins placed Foligno and defenseman Derek Forbort on long-term injured reserve after activating winger Taylor Hall off of LTIR. However, Foligno, who has recently been back at practice with his teammates, told reporters on Saturday that he is still aiming to return to the Boston Bruins lineup for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I feel great. I think for me, I think everyone gets excited, myself included, being out there. Pretty significant injury that I had and it’s a credit to our medical staff,” Nick Foligno said. “Scott Waugh (Bruins manager of player rehabilitation), working with him that I’m a little further along than probably we were expecting. That’s why it’s hard, there’s no real timetable. It’s just a matter of me feeling as good as I need to feel. When that time comes we’ll know when I’m ready.

I think it’s just hard because you see me out here skating but I’m still working toward trying to feel as good as I can for the team when I come back and step in. Thats al we’re focused on. As much as I’d like to be out there, and dying to be back out there, I gotta make sure that when I do I’m ready and I’m ready to go for the long haul. I give those guys a ton of credit, man, with the original diagnosis and where I am today I’m pumped at the work everyone’s done to get me back to feeling this good.”

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