Connor Ingram wins 2024 Masterton Trophy for perseverance
In the final season of the franchise in Arizona, former Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The award has been given annually since 1968 to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Not since Shane Doan won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2012 had the Coyotes won any individual awards.
Ingram nearly retired from hockey at 23 years old, but he was encouraged to enter the NHL Players' Association's player assistance program. The program offers help for anything from alcohol or drug abuse to mental health issues, sleeping problems or gambling addiction.
While with the Nashville Predators, Ingram entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Jan. 25, 2021. He dealt with an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder that led to alcohol abuse, anxiety issues, loneliness and a tendency to shy away from contact with others.
He spent 42 days in a mental health treatment center that ultimately saved his life.
“You don’t do these things for awards or for recognition. When I got on a plane to go on a grippy sock vacation, you don’t think about winning the Masterton, you just think about trying to put your life back together,” Ingram said.
In the final season in Arizona, Ingram delivered stunning performances with six shutouts, tying him for the league lead. He took over as the team’s No. 1 goalie and recorded a 2.91 goals against average and .907 save percentage across 50 games played.
Ingram is far from wanting to hang up his career and is considering being an advocate for mental health in the team's new home in Utah. However, he adds that he has some work to do on himself before doing that.
The program keeps the reasons for players entering private, but Ingram’s story soon became public, which gave him a chance to share what he went through.
“If I become a voice for it or do things like this where I talk about it, I want to make it a good thing. I think that’s what this has turned into,” Ingram said. “I’ve got people reaching out saying that it’s helped their kids get in to therapy. That’s all you can do. If it’s going to be a story, make it a good one.”
Many players have been doing the same as Ingram did in asking for help.
During this season, five players have stepped away to receive care from the program jointly run by the league and union. It’s the same number of players who sought help over the previous three years combined.
“There’s more people who have been through it than you would possibly think,” Ingram said. “If there had been 2,000 players who have asked for help, I wouldn’t be amazed. There’s a lot of guys who use it for things like paying for therapy or things that you want to do at home. There’s a lot of things that the program does than just take guys away from the league and make them get better. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes and it’s been going on for this long and guys still use it for a reason.”