Steve Mason (ice hockey)

Steve Mason
Mason with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014
Born	(1988-05-29) May 29, 1988 (age 36) Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	223 lb (101 kg; 15 st 13 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Right
Played for	Columbus Blue Jackets Philadelphia Flyers Winnipeg Jets
NHL draft	69th overall, 2006 Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career	2008–2018

Steve Mason (born May 29, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets.

He was selected in the third round, 69th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Blue Jackets. Playing major junior in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Mason spent three seasons with the London Knights and Kitchener Rangers. In the 2006–07 season, he was named OHL Goaltender of the Year. He joined the Blue Jackets in 2008–09 and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.

Internationally, he won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2008 World Junior Championships while earning tournament MVP and Best Goaltender honours.

Playing career

Mason grew up in Oakville, Ontario, playing mostly A hockey until his Bantam year, when he moved up to the AAA level with the Oakville Rangers of the OMHA's South Central AAA League. He was drafted after his minor midget season with Oakville by the London Knights of the OHL in the 11th round of the 2004 OHL Priority Selection.

In 2004–05, while attending Abbey Park High School, ^[1] he led the Grimsby Peach Kings club to the OHA Jr.C. title in 2004–05 and in 2005–06 was assigned to the Petrolia Jets Jr.B. club when his playing time was limited with London. Despite this, Mason was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round, 69th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He started the 2007–08 season with the Blue Jackets, but was returned to London after being a healthy scratch for Columbus' first two games of the season. While competing for Team Canada at the 2008 World Junior Championships, he was traded by the Knights to the Kitchener Rangers on January 4, 2008, hours before the semi-final game.

Upon returning from the World Junior Championships with a gold medal, Mason was briefly recalled by the Blue Jackets on an emergency basis in February, but did not appear in a game and was quickly returned. ^[2] Mason suffered a knee injury towards the end of the regular season, but with the playoffs approaching, he tried to play through it for several weeks. After defeating the Plymouth Whalers in the first round, Mason was pulled out of the line-up and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on April 18, forcing him to miss the remainder of the OHL playoffs, as well as the 2008 Memorial Cup. ^[3] Kitchener won the OHL championship without Mason, but lost 4–1 in the Memorial Cup final against the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Columbus Blue Jackets

Mason in 2009 with the Blue Jackets

Before his first professional season, Mason underwent an additional knee surgery in September, causing him to miss the first month of play in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Blue Jackets' minor league affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. ^[4] Shortly after recovering and joining the Crunch's line-up, Mason was called up by the Blue Jackets on November 4, 2008, in the absence of injured starter Pascal Leclaire. He made his NHL debut on November 5, starting against, and defeating, the Edmonton Oilers 5–4. ^[5] He recorded his first NHL shutout several games later on November 22, making 15 saves in a 2–0 win against the Atlanta Thrashers. ^[6]

Mason continued to start games upon Leclaire's return from injury and was named NHL Rookie of the Month for November after posting a 5–2–1 record, including three straight wins and two shutouts. ^[7] In the midst of shutout streak, having not allowed a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, he was named Rookie of the Month for a second-straight month in December. Along with Mason's three straight shutouts, he posted a 7–5–0 record, 1.41 goals against average (GAA) and .950 save percentage for the month. ^[8] Chosen to play for the rookies at the 2009 NHL YoungStars Game, he opted, however, to skip the competition. It was later revealed on January 30, 2009, by Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson that Mason had been suffering from mononucleosis for the previous three-to-four weeks. After three more starts, on February 8, Mason was put on the injured reserve. ^[9] He returned to the line-up on February 13 against the Detroit Red Wings in a 3–2 Columbus victory. ^[10] Mason finished the season with a 33–20–7 record, 2.29 GAA and .916 save percentage. For his season's performances, he was awarded the 2009 Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year honours, edging out Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks and Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks in the process; ^[11] as of 2023, he is the most recent goaltender to win the award. Additionally, on April 27, 2009, the NHL announced that Mason was nominated for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender, along with Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins and Niklas Bäckström of the Minnesota Wild. ^[12] Thomas was eventually awarded the trophy.

The next three seasons were a disappointment for Mason, however, as he was unable to duplicate the play of his rookie year, and the Blue Jackets failed to make another playoff appearance. ^[13]

Philadelphia Flyers

Mason was traded on April 3, 2013, to the Philadelphia Flyers for goaltender Michael Leighton and a 2015 third round draft pick. ^[14] On April 8, Mason signed a one-year contract extension worth $1.5 million. ^[15] Mason had four wins and two losses in Philadelphia and posted an impressive 1.90 GAA and a .944 save percentage, leading to speculation that Mason would replace Ilya Bryzgalov as the starter for Philadelphia. ^[16] In the off-season, on June 25, 2013, Bryzgalov was bought out by the Flyers, ^[17] where the team subsequently signed goaltender Ray Emery, effectively promoting Mason to the starter's role. ^[18] On November 12, 2013, Mason recorded his first shutout for Philadelphia against the Ottawa Senators in a 5–0 win. ^[19] On January 18, 2014, Mason signed a three-year contract extension with the Flyers worth $12.3 million for an annual average of $4.1 million. ^[20] Mason finished the 2013-14 season with a 33-18-7 record and a .917 save percentage, which was enough to bring the Flyers to the playoffs. In the playoffs, Mason started 4 games and played in 5, going 2-2 with a 1.97 GAA and a .939 save percentage, but the Flyers were eliminated by the New York Rangers in 7 games.

Winnipeg Jets

On July 1, 2017, Mason signed a two-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets for $4.1 million per year. The plan was for Mason to split the time with young Connor Hellebuyck but his season was derailed by two concussions ^[21] and a serious knee injury. ^[22]

On June 30, 2018, Mason was traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with forward Joel Armia and a few draft picks; the Canadiens put him on waivers in order to buy out his contract. Mason's contract was not picked up by another team, thus making him an unrestricted free agent. ^[23]

After a lack of interest in the free agent market, Mason retired from playing and returned to his hometown of Oakville to serve as the director of goalie development for the Oakville Rangers, a youth team in Oakville. ^[24]

International play

Medal record
Representing   Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2008 Czech Republic

Mason first competed for Team Canada at the under-20 level in the eight-game 2007 Super Series against Russia. He then led Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Prior to the semi-final game against Team USA, Mason was traded within the OHL from the London Knights to the Kitchener Rangers. After defeating Team Sweden 3–2 in overtime of the gold medal game, he was named as the player of the game, as he was in the semi-finals. Mason was undefeated in five games with a tournament-best .951 save percentage and 1.19 GAA. He was named to the tournament all-star team, received top goaltender honours, and was named tournament MVP.

Following his rookie NHL season, Mason was named to Team Canada's summer orientation camp for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He was not named to the final roster, but he was reported to have been designated an injury replacement, along with St. Louis Blues goaltender Chris Mason. ^[25]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T/OT	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2003–04	Oakville Rangers Min. Midget AAA	OMHA		27	22	4	1	1215	41	5	1.58	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Grimsby Peach Kings	NDJCHL		23	16	5	2	1239	61	2	2.96	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	London Knights	OHL		12	5	3	0	497	22	0	2.66	.931		4	0	1	150	7	0	2.80	.911
2005–06	Petrolia Jets	WOHL		9	6	3	1	522	22	0	2.53	.931		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	London Knights	OHL		62	45	13	4	3733	199	2	3.20	.914		16	9	7	931	54	0	3.48	.910
2007–08	London Knights	OHL		26	19	4	3	1569	73	2	2.79	.916		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		16	13	3	0	961	33	1	2.06	.915		5	5	0	313	10	1	1.92	.946
2008–09	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		3	2	1	0	184	5	0	1.63	.937		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		61	33	20	7	3664	140	10	2.29	.916		4	0	4	239	17	0	4.27	.878
2009–10	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		58	20	26	9	3201	163	5	3.05	.901		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		54	24	21	7	3027	153	3	3.03	.901		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		46	16	26	3	2534	143	1	3.39	.894		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		13	3	6	1	712	35	0	2.95	.899		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		7	4	2	0	378	12	0	1.90	.944		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		61	33	18	7	3486	145	4	2.50	.917		5	2	2	244	8	0	1.97	.939
2014–15	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		51	18	18	11	2885	108	3	2.25	.928		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		54	23	19	10	3150	132	4	2.51	.918		3	0	3	176	12	0	4.09	.852
2016–17	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		58	26	21	8	3225	143	3	2.66	.908		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		13	5	6	1	685	37	1	3.24	.906		1	0	0	20	0	0	0.00	1.000
2017–18	Manitoba Moose	AHL		1	1	0	0	64	4	0	3.73	.818		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				476	205	183	64	26,947	1,211	34	2.70	.911		13	2	9	680	37	0	3.27	.897

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2008	Canada	WJC			5	5	0	0	303	6	1	1.19	.951
Junior totals					5	5	0	0	303	6	1	1.19	.951

Awards

Junior

• Named OHL Goaltender of the Year in 2007.

NHL

• Named Rookie of the Month for November and December 2008.
• The Sporting News' Rookie of the Year 2009.
• Named to the NHL second All-Star team in 2009.
• Calder Memorial Trophy winner in 2009.

International

• Named Player of the game in the semi-final (against Team USA) and gold medal game (against Sweden) at the 2008 World Junior Championships.
• Named to the World Junior all-star team in 2008.
• IIHF Best Player Award at the goaltender position at the World Juniors in 2008.
• Tournament MVP at the World Juniors in 2008.

Other

• Glove save on Craig Adams of the Pittsburgh Penguins voted by Flyers fans as the team's "Highlight of the Year" during the 2014–15 season. ^[26]

Records

• Set the OHL record for regular season wins with 45 in 2006–07 (broken by Andrew Engelage of the Windsor Spitfires with 46 wins in 2008–09)
• Set the CHL record for assists by a goaltender with 8 in 2007.

References

1. "Steve Mason traded to Philadelphia Flyers". Inside Halton. April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
2. "Blue Jackets send Steve Mason back to OHL". CBC. February 10, 2008. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
3. Reed, Tom (April 17, 2008). "Hot Jackets property has knee injury". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved May 30, 2008.
4. "Blue Jackets lose Steve Mason for 4-6 weeks". CBC. September 23, 2008. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
5. "Goalie Steve Mason makes his mark with Columbus Blue Jackets". The Hockey News. November 11, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
6. "Mason helps Blue Jackets blank Thrashers". Sports Network. November 22, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
7. "Blue Jackets goalie Steve Maso named NHL rookie of the month". Canadian Press. December 2, 2008. Archived from the original on December 13, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
8. "Blue Jackets G Steve Mason named rookie of the month again". National Post. January 2, 2009. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
9. "Jackets admit goalie Mason needs a rest". CBC. February 8, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
10. "Blue Jackets mark Mason's return by snapping Red Wings' win streak". USA Today. February 13, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
11. "Ryan, Versteeg, Mason selected as nominees for Calder Trophy". TSN. April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
12. "Mason, Thomas, Wild's Backstrom Vezina finalists". Associated Press. April 27, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
13. "Blue Jackets notebook: Steve Mason playing well in Philly". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved January 9, 2014.
14. "Flyers acquire Steve Mason from Columbus; Adam Hall from Tampa Bay". Philadelphia Flyers. April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
15. Anthony SanFilippo (April 8, 2013). "Mason signs Extension". Philadelphia Flyers . Retrieved April 8, 2013.
16. "Flyers trade for Steve Mason means Ilya Brzygalov is a goner". bleacherreport.com. May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
17. "Flyers buyout contract of Ilya Brzygalov". National Hockey League. June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
18. "Flyers address goalie need, sign Ray Emery". ESPN. July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
19. "Mason stonewalls Senators in 5-0 victory". Philadelphia Flyers. November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
20. "Steve Mason signs three-year extension with Philadelphia Flyers". CBS Sports . January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
21. "Winnipeg Jets Send Steve Mason to Moose for Conditioning". Global News.ca.
22. "Should Steve Mason Hang Up The Pads?". hockey writers.com. June 12, 2018.
23. "Canadiens acquire Joel Armia, Steve Mason from Jets". sportsnet.ca. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
24. "News > Not Found (Oakville Rangers Hockey Club)".
25. "Blues' Mason added to Canada's stand-by list". CTV News. February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
26. "Highlight of the Year Bracket". Philadelphia Flyers. Accessed September 22, 2016.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Patrick Kane	Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy 2009	Succeeded by Tyler Myers