EDMONTON, Alberta — Dominic Moore, who personifies the qualities of sportsmanship, perseverance, and dedication to hockey, has been nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy by the New York chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
The trophy commemorates Masterton, the North Stars’ forward who died in an NHL game after hitting his head on the ice on Jan. 15, 1968. It is awarded annually to the player who best exhibits the aforementioned three character traits.
“I’m humbled and obviously very appreciative,” the Rangers’ 33-year-old center said before his team’s 5-0 victory over the Oilers Sunday night. “I have appreciation for a lot of things, certainly for this award for which I have so much respect.”
Moore returned to the NHL this season after sitting out 2012-13 following the death of his wife, Katie, to a rare form of liver cancer. The Harvard graduate took a leave of absence in the spring of 2012 in order to care for and support his wife after her diagnosis. Katie passed away in January 2013 at the age of 32.
“’Perseverance’ is a word I have a lot of respect for,” Moore said. “It’s something I’ve tried to bring to the table throughout my career and my life, and I saw a first-hand example of that in my wife.”
Moore established the Katie Moore Foundation (katiemoore.org), dedicated to helping patients and families with rare cancers through research, advocacy and community. He has also worked with the Garden of Dreams charitable foundation upon his return this season to the Rangers, with whom he began his NHL career in 2005-06.
“I’m grateful for the support I’ve gotten from the Rangers, the organization, my teammates and the fans,” he said. “I’m definitely appreciative more of the little things.”
Moore has emerged as an essential component of the club’s fourth line and penalty killing corps after a halting start to the season, interrupted by an injury.
“It was definitely a struggle at the start, and then with the injury,” said Moore, who is on a one-year contract and expressed a desire to play next season. “It was definitely a battle, emotionally too, but I’m feeling much better now on all fronts.”
Martin St. Louis was much more involved and noticeable than he had been over the previous week, but was nevertheless blanked for the 14th straight game as a Ranger and 16th straight overall. St. Louis, who led forwards with 19:56 of ice, was robbed at the right post by Ben Scrivens on a rebound of a Ryan McDonagh power-play slap shot at 3:06 of the second period.
Mats Zuccarello broke a 17-game scoreless streak, getting a pair (one shorthanded), for his first goals since Jan. 26 against the Devils at Yankee Stadium, and his first indoors since Jan. 18 at Ottawa. … Derick Brassard’s power-play goal was his fifth goal in the last six matches.