Over the years, the Minnesota Wild has been well represented in the field of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to players who have shown a higher level of dedication and perseverance to the game of hockey. The trophy is actually named after a former Minnesota player, but not the Wild. This story goes back to his Stars days in the North when the Wild based his jersey on a reverse retro the past few seasons. Unfortunately, Masterton died from an injury sustained during a game in 1968.
Obviously, the Wild's player for the past few seasons before being traded was Matt Dumba. He didn't win, but another Wild player named Josh Harding did, and a few seasons later, Devan Dubnyk did too. Both goalies continued to play the game through some difficulties. This award is one of the most difficult to choose because there are so many excellent candidates. Last season, it was won by Kris Letang, who overcame a two-stroke deficit in his career and is still playing.
Each NHL team can designate one player, and for this season's Wild, that player is rookie Marco Rossi. There are always great candidates for this award, and this season is no different. Rossi, along with Sidney Crosby, TJ Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo, are just a few of the many players who deserve to be nominated. Some may wonder why a rookie like Rossi is nominated for this award, but in this article we look at why, starting with how difficult it was for him to reach the NHL. I want to go.
Rossi is absent
Rossi was selected by the Wild with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2020 draft and had no plans to come to North America yet, but his career ended soon after. He contracted the coronavirus in November 2020 while playing for Zurich ZSC Lions during the 2020-21 season and was sidelined for a while. He returned to competition in January 2021 after he thought he had recovered. In January, he skated in the under-20 division at the World Junior Championships, shortly afterward, according to his official website. athletic Michael Russo was diagnosed with myocarditis during a game with the coronavirus during the Wild's training camp later that month, and will be sidelined indefinitely to rest. From “Off the Ice'', which talks about the heart disease that struck him. The AthleticApril 27, 2021).
Additionally, he was about to make his NHL debut with the Wild that season, but apparently that didn't happen. He will be sidelined until September 2021, when he will attend the Wild's training camp.
Rossi makes the NHL
Rossi's debut did not last long, as he and Matt Boldy appeared in the same match on January 6, 2022. After two games, Boldy was permanently added to the lineup, while Rossi was returned to the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild. (AHL) Found his game for a while. He wasn't terrible when he came to the NHL, but he was definitely struggling and it was clear that he needed to work on some things.
He took that to heart, kept his head down and worked hard for the rest of the season, impressing many with his efforts. But he took that commitment a step further and stayed in Minnesota this offseason instead of returning to his native Austria. He even missed his sister's wedding to work on the game.
Rossi came into camp a different player with more confidence and had a better game overall. He was good before, but he improved everything about his game and it paid off. He earned a permanent spot in the lineup this season and can play with just about anyone on any line. He was on the top line for a good portion of the season, most recently paired with Marcus Johansson and Mats Zuccarello.
Rossi gets nominated
Through hard work, Rossi earned Masterton's pick despite playing just one season in the NHL. He was focused on returning to action after being sidelined for several months with myocarditis. It wasn't easy to get back to his old self after experiencing so much fear. Not only did he do it, but when he realized he wasn't quite ready for the NHL, he didn't give up, put his head down and got back to work.
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Rossi loves challenges and has endured many on his way to the NHL. He may not win the award, but he's definitely won the award and is constantly improving his game, so he should be a contender again. His work last offseason proved that, and whatever areas he needs to fix this offseason, he'll likely be working on for months.
He's already started changing his game, modeling it a little after Joel Eriksson Ek's. He puts himself in front of the net and stays there no matter who pushes him away. He has scored several goals this way and will likely continue to do so as his career progresses.
Rossi's future
Rossi may not win the award this year as there are many other deserving players, but he earned the nomination nonetheless. As I said at the beginning, all the players nominated are valuable and it's hard to pick a winner. Even if he doesn't win this season, he has a good chance of being drafted again throughout his career. His dedication to the game is on another level and never stops. Hopefully he can find more scoring as his career progresses, but regardless, the Wild have a great player in Rossi.
