Alex Ovechkin was named the Capitals’ nominee for the 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Wednesday morning. The trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
The players are voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, which RMNB is not a part of. The AP’s Stephen Whyno revealed Ovechkin as the Washington chapter’s nominee.
Ovechkin started the 2024-25 season by scoring 15 goals in his first 18 games before breaking his left leg in November. The 39-year-old forward missed only 16 games with the injury, returning just a month and 10 days later.
Despite missing 20 percent of the Capitals’ schedule, Ovechkin still managed to score the 42 goals he needed this year to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. In his 20th season in the NHL, Ovechkin ranks fourth in the league in goals, with all three players ahead of him having played at least 10 more games.
The Masterton Trophy is one of the few individual awards that Ovechkin has not picked up during his illustrious career. He has won the Calder Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (9x), Hart Memorial Trophy (3x), Ted Lindsay Award (3x), and Conn Smythe Trophy.
No Russian player has ever won the award since the trophy’s inception following the 1967-68 season. Jose Theodore is the lone Capitals player to receive the honor, winning the trophy after the 2009-10 campaign.
The list of 32 nominees will eventually be narrowed down to three finalists. The winner is announced during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The most recent winners include Utah’s Connor Ingram (2024), Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang (2023), and Montreal’s Carey Price (2022).
