The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Mikey Eyssimont has been nominated by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) for the 2023-24 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy given to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Now playing for the fourth team in his career, the 27-year-old has found a home. His acquisition at last year’s trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks didn’t receive a great deal of attention other than helping the cap-strapped Lightning move veteran forward Vladislav Namestnikov’s salary. But Eyssimont has provided the Lightning with a line grinder dedicated to hard-nosed play and keeping the puck in the offensive zone, which the team needed.
Each team has a nominee for the award, and the PHWA’s membership selects an overall winner. Only one Lightning player has ever won the Masterton: center John Cullen in 1998-99 after battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Eyssimont picked up a goal and an assist in Thursday’s (April 4) 7-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. However, what he has dealt with off the ice has made him a well-deserved nominee for this award.
Eyssimont’s Battle With Crohn’s Disease
After playing in the United States Hockey League with Fargo and Sioux Falls, Eyssimont attended St. Cloud State, where he scored 45 goals in three seasons, including the game-winner against Minnesota-Duluth in the 2016 National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament, giving the Huskies their first-ever tournament title.
As he prepared for the 2016-17 season, his final one at SCSU, Eyssimont often felt drained. He could not muster the energy to practice, let alone perform at a high level. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract that can cause serious abdominal pain, fatigue, and weight loss. Eyssimont was hospitalized for a week and had to alter his diet, which was initially done on a trial-and-error basis.
According to the Mayo Clinic, inflammation caused by Crohn’s disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people, most commonly the small intestine, which often spreads into the deeper layers of the bowel. There’s no known cure for the disease, but therapies can greatly reduce its symptoms and even bring about long-term remission and healing. With treatment, many people with Crohn’s disease can function well.
Eyssimont has helped others cope, in part, through his connection with Athletes Versus Crohn’s & Colitis, which was co-founded in 2017 by NBA veteran Larry Nance, Jr.
Eyssimont Finds a Home in Tampa Bay
The Lightning is Eyssimont’s fourth NHL organization and the third team he played for last season. He’s had to reinvent his game to find a place in the league, going from a scorer to a player with those intangibles teams look for. He is a fierce two-way player, a relentless forechecker, pacesetter, and notorious pest, and he was rewarded as an everyday NHL regular for the first time this season.
Eyssimont has been placed on waivers three times in his career, including twice last season. The team that initially drafted him, the Los Angeles Kings, let him go after three seasons in the American Hockey League before he signed a two-way deal with the Winnipeg Jets in 2011. He earned his first NHL call-up to the Jets last season when the San Jose Sharks claimed him off waivers in January, and the Lightning acquired him on March 1, 2023.
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This season, Eyssimont has set new career highs with 11 goals, 12 assists, and 23 points in 75 games. With his physicality and grit, he also has 99 penalty minutes and 122 hits. He signed a two-year extension with the Bolts last May.
Many see similarities to former Lightning favorite Yanni Gourde due to his high intensity and ability to get under his opponent’s skin. This award is given to a player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Given what he’s had to overcome on and off the ice, it is hard to argue against Eyssimont’s nomination.
