The Award nominations continue to roll in for the Ottawa Senators.
This evening, the National Hockey League announced that goaltender Andrew Hammond is one of three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Award given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Penguins defenceman Kris Letang and Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk are the other two finalists.
The Andrew Hammond story was one that defied logic and completely captivated hockey fans across North America. A complete unknown up until that magical California road trip, Hammond burst on to the scene, posting an incredible 14-1-1 record in his first 16 games and in the process, leading the Ottawa Senators into a playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
It’s pretty simple- without Hammond, that miracle playoff run never happens.
It was truly one of the most impressive, most unexpected sports stories in recent memory. An average AHL goaltender to the hottest goalie in the NHL over night. To his credit, the 27 year old Hammond stuck with it and made the best of the opportunity he was given. One of the things that always impressed me while watching Hammond, I mean besides the fact that he never lost, was just how hard he worked in the net. Never giving up on a play and always do everything he could to make the stop.
As fans, we all sort of sat back in a delightful state of shock as the wins piled up and the hamburgers rained down from the rafters.
It’s funny how quickly a picture like this became normal. “Ah yes a referee picking up a hamburger off the ice. #Sens pic.twitter.com/YvNdbA8ayb
— SensChirp (@SensChirp) March 20, 2015
This city has never seen anything quite like it and probably never will again.
Congratulations to Andrew Hammond on a well-deserved nomination!
