A snapped ACL, a torn Achilles tendon. Andrej Sekera has persevered through both to become the Oilers' 2019 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee. (SportsnetSpec)
was junior-aged, he would drive from his hometown of Bojnice, Slovakia to play hockey in a city called Trencin. His path would take him right past a giant factory that made all things rubber, called Vegum A.S.
Its exports include, since 1952, every hockey puck a Canadian kid grew up with that was stamped "Made in Czechoslovakia." Or later, after the wall came down, "Made in Slovakia.""No," laughed Sekera. "We were lucky for that." He is the son of a Slovakian coal miner — "That’s where I learn the hard work from," —who grew up relatively near the world’s leading supplier of hockey pucks. So it should be no surprise that Sekera, whose work ethic has pulled him through two major injuries, is thenominee for the 2019 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, recognizing the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.
Sekera snapped the ACL in his left leg in the 2017 playoffs. Then, after having made it back to finish the 2017-18 season, he tore his right Achilles tendon almost all the way through while training last August."I definitely had a thought about that," he said. "Thirty one and I have the ACL. Now the Achilles? It could be a rough ending to my career. You know how long it takes. No matter what the doctor says, it’s always five to six months.
"But , they went away after about 15 minutes, I knew exactly what lay ahead for me, and started getting ready for that."
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