Antti Niemi, a goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, was announced as the team's candidate for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the 2017-18 season.
The trophy is awarded to the NHL player who "best exemplfies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey," the Habs wrote in a statement.
The winner will be selected in a poll at the end of the regular season. Thirty other players are nominated for the award.
Niemi, the 34-year-old goaltender hailing from Vantaa, just north of Helsinki, played 445 NHL games -- 233 wins, 133 and 55 OTL. He is currently in his 10th season with the NHL.
In 2008, Niemi left his Finnish team to sign a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Niemi first guarded nets for the Habs back in November when the team faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Five Canadiens players have been awarded with the Masterton Trophy since its inception; Max Pacioretty (2011-12), Saku Koivu (2001-02), Serge Savard (1978-79), Henri Richard (1973-74), and Claude Provost (1967-68), who was the inaugural recipient of the award.
The trophy commemorates the late Bill Masterton, a player with the Minnesota North Stars, who died after an NHL game in 1968.
