The Detroit Red Wings have selected their candidate to be named the 2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, and he’s certainly the ideal player to earn it after ressurrecting his career following a November trade to the Motor City.
Forward Robby Fabbri has officially been nominated by the team for the award. Each NHL team nominates one player, and the winner is then selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
The award is given annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.
Fabbri was acquired by Detroit from the St. Louis Blues for checking forward Jacob de la Rose, and instantly fit in with his new team after falling out of favor with the Blues. He also underwent 20 months of rehabilitation following two ACL injuries, and his future in the NHL seemed cloudy.
Ironically, the last Red Wings player to win the award was the man who acquired him – Steve Yzerman. You may remember the debilitating knee injury that he played through during the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs, for which he later had an osteotomy, a risky knee realignment surgical procedure.
