Bobby Ryan won the Bill Masterton Trophy last year over Oskar Lindblom. An award that Oskar and Stephen Johns ever so deserved as well, and it is given to “The National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” It’s so tough to award this trophy year in and year out, but Oskar Lindblom won this award this season over Patrick Marleau and Matt Dumba.
“Tremendously impressed of Oskar,” Bobby Ryan said after winning the award last year, “Equally deserving of this honor. I’m so proud of him (Oskar), I hope he continues to kick ass.” Well, Bobby he did just that, as Lindblom was the most courageous athlete in Philadelphia sports this past season.
Lindblom brightens everyone’s day, as Alain Vigneault loves the kid. Lindblom is so strong, and mentally tough. Vigneault calls him “Sunshine,” “There’s no doubt that having him around and in the last, I would say, week there was a feeling, a buzz around our team that he might get a chance to play,” Alain Vigneault said last year following practice, “We had sort of made a deal with him. Originally in the schedule, September the 6th was the start of the Conference Final in Edmonton. We sort of made the deal with him that we would get there and you get yourself ready to play in Edmonton. The circumstances made it that we needed him before and luckily he was ready. What does that say about the young man, that after having going through what he went through. He could have easily said. ‘Listen with the way things are in the world and the COVID, I’m going to wait for next year. I’ll get ready and I’ll be 100%’. No, he comes back. He helps his teammates. Gets himself ready to play. I don’t want to say we accelerate the process here, but the 6th of September, the 3rd of September, it’s pretty close. He’s all in. He wanted to play and help his teammates. That says a tremendous amount about the young man.”
“It shows the character of who Oskar really is,” Kevin Hayes said repeatedly this season, “He’s a true warrior. I know our team supported him every step along the way. Just to see him in the locker room before we went on the ice was something special. We couldn’t be happier for him.”
Athletes are human too. Lindblom is always happy, upbeat, and in good spirits daily. It’s just great to have him around the rink to brighten the day of fans, players, staff, and coaches alike. Whatever the case maybe, Lindblom is more than deserving of winning this award, so maybe he will next season. Everyone remain #OskarStrong. We are in this fight together with Lindblom.
I’m not crying, you’re crying:
“It was an awesome feeling to be back on the ice again… I would like to thank my family, my girlfriend, my whole team, the organization and especially the doctors and nurses who have been helping me along the way, and everyone else who have been with me the whole way. I just want to say a big thank you to all of you.”– Oskar Lindblom said via the Flyers Press Release
