Bill Masterton is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game, the result of massive head injuries suffered following a hit during a January 13,1968 contest against the Oakland Seals.
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College standout with the Denver Pioneers, Bill Masterton was a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams in 1960 and 1961, was twice an NCAA All-Star and was the most valuable player of the 1961 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.
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Bill Masterton briefly played in the Montreal Canadiens organization before settling in Minnesota where he played senior hockey.
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Bill Masterton's death sparked a long-running debate in hockey about the merits of wearing helmets, as few NHL players did so in that time.
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Bill Masterton added eight points in six games during the Memorial Cup playdowns, however St Boniface failed to reach the national championship final.
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Bill Masterton played three seasons in Denver between 1958 and 1961, appearing in a total of 89 games, scoring 66 goals and 196 points in that time.
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Bill Masterton was a two-time NCAA All-American and was twice named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Star team, earning both awards in 1960 and 1961.
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Bill Masterton had 31 goals and 65 points for Hull-Ottawa, placing him in the top ten in both categories.
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Bill Masterton finished as the runner up to Doug Robinson for the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's top rookie.
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Bill Masterton settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he took a job in contracts administration.
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Bill Masterton joined the Honeywell Corporation where he worked on the Apollo program.
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Bill Masterton played two seasons with the St Paul Steers between 1964 and 1966.
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Bill Masterton served as captain on that team and was considered its most valuable player.
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Bill Masterton was the first player to sign with Minnesota, agreeing to a two-year contract.
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At the age of 29, Bill Masterton made his NHL debut in the North Stars' inaugural game, played October 11,1967, against the St Louis Blues.
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Bill Masterton suffered a severe internal brain injury during the first period of Minnesota's January 13,1968, game against the Oakland Seals at the Met Center.
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Bill Masterton carried the puck up the ice at full speed, passing it off as two Seals defenders, Larry Cahan and Ron Harris, converged on him.
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Bill Masterton was knocked backward in the resulting collision and landed on his head.
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Bill Masterton received treatment on the ice and in the dressing room before being rushed to Fairview-Southdale Hospital.
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Bill Masterton was attended to by two neurosurgeons and three other doctors.
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Bill Masterton is the only player in NHL history to die as a direct result of an injury suffered on the ice.
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However, Bill Masterton's death sparked an immediate debate on whether their use should be compulsory.
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Later analysis by the Toronto Star in 2011 suggested that the "macho" attitude of the NHL in that era, as well as Bill Masterton's aggressive playing style, played a significant role in his death.
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Coach Wren Blair believed that Bill Masterton was playing through a pre-existing brain hemorrhage.
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Goaltender Cesare Maniago recalled that the night before the fatal hit, Bill Masterton had been complaining of severe migraines that he had had for over a week.
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Bill Masterton was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, and named to the NCAA's 50th anniversary team in 1997.
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