NY Islanders Mike Reilly nominated for Masterton Trophy after heart surgery

New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly has been nominated by the team's chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. This nomination highlights Reilly's remarkable journey during the 2024-2025 season.

“I’ve had a lot of time to self-reflect,” Reilly said in Newsday. “I had a lot of thoughts. My personality is kind of optimistic. I’ve been through some stuff before, whether it’s being in and out of the lineup throughout my career, things of that nature. From Day 1 of getting the surgery and finding out the news, it was, ‘Let’s make a great story out of this.’

On November 1, 2024, Reilly suffered a concussion during a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Subsequent medical evaluations revealed a previously undiagnosed heart condition, leading to a procedure on November 19. General Manager Lou Lamoriello described the discovery as "probably a blessing in disguise," noting that such conditions are sometimes congenital and go unnoticed .

In his first game since Nov. 1 due to heart surgery, Mike Reilly's game-tying assist in the 4-2 Islanders' win over Florida yesterday made him the 18th former #Gophers player to record an NHL point in 2024-25.

Reilly was also a +1 and blocked two shots.pic.twitter.com/HKcuQBcFNp
— Gopher Game Notes (@GopherGameNotes) March 17, 2025

"After I got the concussion, I was preparing to come back probably in a couple of weeks... did some additional testing and found out what was going on inside of me. Everything kind of took a 180." By mid-December, Reilly had resumed skating and working out, aiming for a return before the season's end. He was cleared for contact in early March and made his comeback on March 16, 2025, contributing an assist in a 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.

“He deserves it,” said head coach Patrick Roy. “It’s been a roller coaster year. He started the year playing well and feeling good. He gets hurt against Buffalo and then, from that moment, it was downhill from there. But he worked so hard. I really do appreciate how resilient he’s been, how hard he’s been working to be in that position and give himself a chance to continue to play. It’s impressive.”

On the season, Reilly has recorded two assists in 17 games, along with 13 blocked shots. His resilience and dedication have earned him the Masterton Trophy nomination, an award previously won by Islanders Robin Lehner (2019), Mark Fitzpatrick (1992), and Ed Westfall (1977).

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