Thornton, Lehner, Foligno named finalists for Masterton Trophy

San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton, New York Islanders netminder Robin Lehner, and Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno were announced Friday as finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

The finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey are here! Congratulations to @NickFoligno, @RobinLehner and Joe Thornton. #NHLAwards presented by @Bridgestone pic.twitter.com/9mvKlPcyYV

- NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2019

The 39-year-old Thornton overcame a pair of major knee injuries from the previous two seasons to post 51 points in 73 games with the Sharks, and he played in his 1,500th career NHL game in November.

Lehner turned in a career year after revealing addiction and mental health issues in an article he wrote for The Athletic. He and teammate Thomas Greiss won the 2018-19 William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders to allow the fewest regular-season goals.

Foligno led the Blue Jackets to the postseason for a third straight year while attending to health issues affecting two of his three young children. He notched 35 points in 73 games.

The Masterton Trophy is awarded "to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.