OTTAWA -- Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan has been nominated for the 2019-2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is an annual award under the trusteeship of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association and is given to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Each team has one nominee for the award. The list of Masterton Trophy nominees will be whittled down to three finalists, with a winner to be announced at a later date.
Ryan, 33, took a leave of absence from the game in November to enter the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He revealed in February he was battling alcohol addiction.
"I’ve tried on my own and I was already getting help for it. What I was doing wasn’t enough. I was trying to white-knuckle things and do things the wrong way. I’d have 20 days of nothing and one real bad one and you just can’t get better without it," Ryan told reporters upon his return.
The COVID-19 pandemic shelved the rest of the 2019-2020 NHL season, in which Ryan played 24 games. The league is currently working on a plan to return to play with a 24-team playoff format, but the Senators will not be included.
Ryan has played 455 games with the Ottawa Senators since joining the team in 2013.
