DEATH IN THE NHL

Vol. 21 / Issue 16 - January 20, 1968

BY RYAN KENNEDY

TRAGEDY STRUCK THE NHL in 1968 when Minnesota North Stars center Bill Masterton died as the result of a hit from two Oakland players during game play. Masterton, who was only in the league because he’d been coaxed out of his day job with Honeywell – where he worked on the Apollo Moon project – to play for the expansion North Stars, was taken to a hospital, but doctors in Minneapolis were unable to save him from a massive brain injury. He spent 30 hours on a respirator before succumbing. Masterton’s shocking death put the issue of helmets at the forefront in the NHL, though progress was slow. Helmets were not required in the league until 1979, and even then, there was an exception for any player who had signed an…

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