Masterton trophy Finalists Announced

[rinkrat]

NEW YORK (May 9, 2008) -- Left wing Jason Blake of the Toronto Maple Leafs,
defenseman Chris Chelios of the Detroit Red Wings and right wing Fernando Pisani of the
Edmonton Oilers are the finalists for the 2008 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the
Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) announced today.
The award, under the trusteeship of the PHWA, is presented annually to the National
Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship,
and dedication to hockey.

In October, Blake was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a rare but
treatable form of cancer. Nonetheless, the Hibbing, Minn. native completed the season as
one of only three players to appear in all 82 Maple Leafs games. Blake hosted a leukemia
awareness night at Air Canada Centre in January and donated $1,000 per goal and $500 per assist during the month to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

Chelios completed his 24th NHL regular-season and ninth with the Red Wings in 2007-
08. The three-time Norris Trophy-winner (1989, ’93 and ’96) and 11-time All-Star Game
participant has appeared in 1,616 regular-season games, sixth on the all-time list. In
January, the 46-year-old Chicago native became the second-oldest player in National
Hockey League history, trailing only Gordie Howe.

Pisani missed the first 26 games of the regular season due to ulcerative colitis, a
chronic inflammation of the large intestine. The Edmonton native suffered abdominal pain
and weight loss and was forced to miss training camp and the first 26 games of the regular season. He made an inspirational return to the Oilers' lineup Dec. 2 in a 4-0 victory at Anaheim and played all of Edmonton’s remaining games.

The Masterton Trophy winner will be announced Thursday, June 12 during the 2008
NHL Awards Television Special, which will be broadcast live throughout Canada on CBC and
the United States on VERSUS from the historic Elgin Theatre in Toronto. The PHWA will
make a donation to the Masterton Scholarship Fund in honor of the winner.

The trophy was presented to the NHL by the PHWA in 1968 to commemorate the late
Bill Masterton of the Minnesota North Stars, who exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died January 15, 1968.