Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1
Before 1967, the NHL was a highly exclusive club. With only six teams in the league roster slots were few, and that left many skilled players without a job at the highest level of their sport. That began to change when the league doubled from six to 12 teams for the 1967-68 season. When the number of teams doubled, so did the number of players, giving a lot of guys that had previously had little to no opportunity in the NHL to permanently make the jump.
One player who got his big break with the expansion was Bill Masterton. The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba played college hockey at the University of Denver, and signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 1961 after receiving his degree, but with future hall-of-famers Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard and all-stars Ralph Backstrom and Don Marshall all playing his center position, there was little chance that Masterton would make the Canadiens team.
Masterton played a season with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the Eastern Professional Hockey League and a season with the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League before leaving professional hockey to settle in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He acquired American citizenship, allowing him to play for the United States national team, which he captained in 1966-67.
When the NHL expanded into his adopted home in the Twin Cities in the form of the Minnesota North Stars, Masterton jumped at the opportunity to play for the new franchise. He was the first player to sign with the North Stars, and scored the first goal in the team's history in an opening night 2-2 tie with the St. Louis Blues.
While not a superstar, Masterton was a solid member of the North Stars. In 38 games with the team, he scored four goals and 12 points. However, his career -- and his life -- abruptly ended after a game against the Oakland Seals on January 13, 1968.
In the first period of the match, Masterton was checked simultaneously by two Seals defenders. He fell backwards onto the ice, and because hit his head on the ice. Like most players of the time, Masterton wasn't wearing a helmet, and the force of the impact caused him to lose consciousness and bleed from his ears, mouth, and nose. Some said that he momentarily regained consciousness and muttered "Never again, never again," before passing out again.
Those words proved to be prophetic. Doctors who examined him at the hospital quickly determined that surgery wasn't an option, and on January 15, a mere 30 hours after his injury, Bill Masterton died, with his wife, children, parents, and brother at his side.
Bill Masterton lived the dream of every hockey player when he ascended to the NHL level. In doing so, he had reached the pinnacle of his sport. But, he had no way of knowing when he awoke on the morning of January 13, that it would be the last time he would do so. None of us can guarantee that this morning wasn't the last time we will do so either.
We don't know when death will come, but we can count on the fact that it is coming. There are many appointments that we can postpone or break, but our appointment with death is not one of them. Death is no respecter of persons. It takes the old; it takes the young. It takes the rich; it takes the poor. It takes those on top of life; it takes those in the gutter. Eventually, it takes all.
My friend, death is coming for you and me, just as sure as it came for Bill Masterton. If it were to come for you today, would you be ready? Would Heaven be your home? Would you meet your Saviour ashamed because you didn't serve him faithfully? We need to be ready. We only have one chance.
Before 1967, the NHL was a highly exclusive club. With only six teams in the league roster slots were few, and that left many skilled players without a job at the highest level of their sport. That began to change when the league doubled from six to 12 teams for the 1967-68 season. When the number of teams doubled, so did the number of players, giving a lot of guys that had previously had little to no opportunity in the NHL to permanently make the jump.
One player who got his big break with the expansion was Bill Masterton. The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba played college hockey at the University of Denver, and signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 1961 after receiving his degree, but with future hall-of-famers Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard and all-stars Ralph Backstrom and Don Marshall all playing his center position, there was little chance that Masterton would make the Canadiens team.
Masterton played a season with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the Eastern Professional Hockey League and a season with the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League before leaving professional hockey to settle in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He acquired American citizenship, allowing him to play for the United States national team, which he captained in 1966-67.
When the NHL expanded into his adopted home in the Twin Cities in the form of the Minnesota North Stars, Masterton jumped at the opportunity to play for the new franchise. He was the first player to sign with the North Stars, and scored the first goal in the team's history in an opening night 2-2 tie with the St. Louis Blues.
While not a superstar, Masterton was a solid member of the North Stars. In 38 games with the team, he scored four goals and 12 points. However, his career -- and his life -- abruptly ended after a game against the Oakland Seals on January 13, 1968.
In the first period of the match, Masterton was checked simultaneously by two Seals defenders. He fell backwards onto the ice, and because hit his head on the ice. Like most players of the time, Masterton wasn't wearing a helmet, and the force of the impact caused him to lose consciousness and bleed from his ears, mouth, and nose. Some said that he momentarily regained consciousness and muttered "Never again, never again," before passing out again.
Those words proved to be prophetic. Doctors who examined him at the hospital quickly determined that surgery wasn't an option, and on January 15, a mere 30 hours after his injury, Bill Masterton died, with his wife, children, parents, and brother at his side.
Bill Masterton lived the dream of every hockey player when he ascended to the NHL level. In doing so, he had reached the pinnacle of his sport. But, he had no way of knowing when he awoke on the morning of January 13, that it would be the last time he would do so. None of us can guarantee that this morning wasn't the last time we will do so either.
We don't know when death will come, but we can count on the fact that it is coming. There are many appointments that we can postpone or break, but our appointment with death is not one of them. Death is no respecter of persons. It takes the old; it takes the young. It takes the rich; it takes the poor. It takes those on top of life; it takes those in the gutter. Eventually, it takes all.
My friend, death is coming for you and me, just as sure as it came for Bill Masterton. If it were to come for you today, would you be ready? Would Heaven be your home? Would you meet your Saviour ashamed because you didn't serve him faithfully? We need to be ready. We only have one chance.
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