what’s Stephen Johns story? why would you like him to win over Oskar?
Okay let me preface this by say I absolutely will not be angry if Oskar wins, what he went through is also awful. BUT, the award is about the comeback from the challenge. Oskar hasn’t comeback and played yet, in my mind he would be a GREAT candidate and winner for next season.
First lets talk about the criteria of the award:
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. ... It is often awarded to a player who has come back from career– or even life-threatening illness or injury.
Because Oskar has not yet come back to play, that is why I feel like he’s a better candidate for next year, when he does come back.
Okay so, let me fill you in on Stephen johns:
He was injured March 29, 2018 in a game against the Wild, his head and shoulder collided with Marcus Foligno’s shoulder and elbow. The hit ended his 2017-2018 season. Over that summer he ended up experiencing post-concussion symptoms (similar to what Nolan has likely been going through)
He spent the next season hoping to return, but couldn’t as he was dealing with endless migraines, going to various doctors and not finding out what was wrong. See below
Let that last paragraph sink in, he had already seen EVERY DOCTOR that Crosby went to.
So, imagine what that does to a player, constantly in pain, in their own head, facing the reality that his career might be over. Johns came out and said he was so depressed, he would lay in bed and compose suicide notes in his head. See below:
This went on for 17 more months. His girlfriend put her entire life on hold for him, and he credits her as being a big reason that he’s still alive today. He goes on to talk about the Stars organization, making sure he still always felt like he was a part of the team, even when he wasn’t playing.
When he was cleared to play, he did a conditioning stint with our AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Scoring a goal and I believe 3 assists. When he came back to the Dallas Stars, his first game back was set to be against the Minnesota Wild, the same team that Dallas was playing when he got injured. The stars lost 7-0 that night, and if you watch his postgame interview, he cries talking about how much it meant to him to be back.
Fast forward to his first goal, Feb 3rd against the NY Rangers. His parents were there that night, and he discusses in his postgame how much it meant to him, again, nearly in tears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWVI_x4KdJA
After that night however, he got a headache, and worried it was all over. He sat out the next night, thankfully the headache went away and he’s been playing pretty steadily for the Stars ever since.
After a 22 month long head injury, where he was depressed and suicidal, to come back and become one of the key pieces to the Stars defense is incredible, and exactly what warrants the win of the Masterton Trophy. I KNOW no one cares about Dallas, and there’s a huge pull for Oskar with players posting and him getting his own hashtag, but Stephen deserves this, wholeheartedly.
https://twitter.com/dallasstars/status/1283802335970500610?s=21 (Please if you do anything with this post, WATCH THIS)
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