NHL Masterton Trophy Nominee List Dallas Stars Stephen Johns Post-Traumatic

The Dallas chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association announced today that Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns is the nominee for the annual Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The Masterton trophy is given to the player each year that best exemplifies “the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” The trophy honors the late Bill Masterton, the only NHL player to die from injuries sustained in a game. First awarded in 1968, the Masterton Trophy is under the trusteeship of the PHWA. Masterton was a member of the Minnesota North Stars team (which would later relocate and become the Dallas Stars) when he tragically passed.

Johns’ nearly 22-month road to returning to the NHL after dealing with post-traumatic headaches and post-concussion syndrome more than displays these qualities.

It wasn’t an easy return for the 28-year old defenseman. There is no set timeline for recovering from post-traumatic headaches. In fact, there was no assurance that he would ever recover from this condition, or even be able to return to the highest level of hockey.

Johns was always supposed to be a steadying force for the Stars’ top four on the blueline. Along with Esa Lindell, John Klingberg, and Miro Heiskanen, the Stars appeared to be set with a relatively cost-controlled, young, mobile defense. Instead, Johns missed nearly two years of training camps, games, playoffs, training, and practices, instead being asked question after question about his return from fans and media alike. All of this in the prime years of his career.

The Stars deserve a lot of credit for being patient with this unpredictable condition. They never pushed for Johns to return before he was ready to, something you don’t always see when it comes to head injuries in this sport. They also ensured that the media was kept far from him, limiting any outside pressures for a return to play that could come from reporting the downs that plagued his ups throughout his recovery.

When Johns was ready to return, he was quickly assigned to the AHL for a conditioning stint. It was anticipated that he would likely need the maximum three games allowed on such an assignment to get up to speed, maybe more. The Stars could have (and likely would have) gotten a dispensation from the league to give him two more conditioning games than the standard allotment, given how much time he missed between NHL action.

I was in the building the night of his return to full-speed hockey action in Cedar Park January 11th when the Texas Stars took on the Toronto Marlies. Immediately, Johns was head and shoulders above the AHL prospects, scoring a goal and registering three assists in a game where he played more limited minutes. A week after, Johns was up in the NHL making his return to a game he sometimes wondered he’d ever get to play again. Less than two weeks after that, he was scoring his first NHL goal in nearly two years.

Stephen Johns was officially back as a…