Skip to content
Flyers
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Oskar Lindblom, Flyers’ Masterton nominee: ‘I look forward to the day I’m back on the ice'

The left winger has been battling a rare type of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma. The Masterton Trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Flyers left winger Oskar Lindblom gets past Arizona Coyotes right winger Christian Fischer and fires a shot in a Dec. 5 game. He has been named the Flyers' Bill Masterton Trophy nominee.
Flyers left winger Oskar Lindblom gets past Arizona Coyotes right winger Christian Fischer and fires a shot in a Dec. 5 game. He has been named the Flyers' Bill Masterton Trophy nominee.Read more / File Photograph

Oskar Lindblom, the left winger who has been battling a rare type of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma, is the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

All 31 NHL teams have a nominee.

Lindblom, 23, a soft-spoken and humble sort, was tied for the Flyers’ lead with 11 goals when he was diagnosed in December and missed the rest of the season.

A Sweden native who has been receiving cancer treatments at Penn, Lindblom issued a statement through the team, saying he was “honored to be nominated for this special award. This past season has been a difficult one, for sure, but the positive support I’ve received from my family, my girlfriend, teammates, the Flyers organization, and Flyers fans has been a tremendous help and inspiration through these times.”

“I look forward to the day I’m back on the ice.”

Lindblom said he was “very touched to see how many people, whether they support the Flyers or another team, were wearing #OskarStrong T-shirts. I continue to feel your support.”

Bobby Clarke (1971-72), Tim Kerr (1988-89), and Ian Laperriere (2010-11) are past Masterton winners from the Flyers.

After Lindblom made an appearance at the Flyers’ team photo session on March 9, his teammates called him an inspiration.

“From what I’ve heard, things are progressing in the right direction and going well,” goalie Carter Hart said at the time. “He’s a huge part of this team. We all love him and it was great to see him here, smiling and joking around with the boys.”

“He’s an impressive human; he’s handled it much better than I probably would," said center Kevin Hayes, whose parents are both cancer survivors. “It’s inspiring, and he puts a smile to your face and makes you realize your problems aren’t as serious as they seem to be.”

The Flyers have dedicated the season to Lindblom. The regular season, which was suspended March 12 (and later declared finished) because of the coronavirus, is expected to resume with a 24-team tournament in August.

.