When Mike Reilly was working his way back from heart surgery, one of the things he’d tell himself was, “Let’s make a great story out of this.”
That’s exactly what Reilly did in returning to the Islanders the very same season he had his procedure, and it’s why he was named Wednesday morning as the team’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication, as chosen by the Islanders chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
“Obviously a lot of guys who are up for the award, they have some unique story or situation,” Reilly said. “Times are tough, go through some adversity. There’s a lot of range to that in terms of what actually the situation might be.
“Regardless, I think it’s a testament to a lot of the hockey guys have to go through stuff. I feel like the hockey culture and how guys compete so hard on the ice, something pops up and it’s a life situation, these guys are gonna fight through it. Get a lot of motivation from seeing a lot of guys go through stuff, including myself. Obviously very honored.”
Three Islanders have won the Masterton Trophy before: Robin Lehner (2019), Mark Fitzpatrick (1992) and Ed Westfall (1977).
Reilly, a 10-year NHL veteran, has dealt with various situations throughout his career, being traded three times, released by the Bruins after spending time in the AHL and being waived by the Panthers. None, however, compared to the abnormality doctors found in his heart during recovery from a concussion in November.
The issue wasn’t life-threatening, or even career-threatening. Still, a heart condition is a heart condition.
“I owe it to myself to push through,” Reilly said. “Obviously there’s a lot of hard days. For me it was, let’s push through, let’s see where this goes a little bit. The organization has been great. When I was picking the surgeon and whatnot, [Islanders GM] Lou Lamoriello was great, very communicative and transparent. Obviously my family’s been great, a lot of my brothers and sisters have [visited] throughout the year. I had an extended Christmas break, which was nice.
“I feel like I had a lot of people in my corner, giving me motivation to push through it. It’s gonna be a great story if you can get back. That was my goal.”
Since returning in mid-March, Reilly has played six games. Playing any at all, of course, is a victory.
“He is someone that we looked up in a way, when he went through [it],” coach Patrick Roy said. “… It’s nice to see a guy like him having people recognize what he’s been doing.”
Reilly says he’s always been optimistic. That’s why he wanted to turn this into a great story. In a lot of ways, that’s how he was able to do so.
This season’s ordeal, starting with a hit from Jordan Greenway that left Reilly unconscious in Buffalo on Nov. 1, was still unlike anything he’s ever been through.
The concussion symptoms dissipated relatively quickly, but routine testing during that process turned up the heart condition. Reilly still can’t believe how lucky he was that doctors found it in such a way.
At 31, he’s still got some career left in him. Just as important, he’s got the rest of his life waiting, and the good fortune to have dealt with such a problem before it got worse.
“Although it wasn’t a great situation, I think a lot of good, positive came out of it for lifelong health and whatnot,” Reilly said. “It makes me put into perspective and put the hockey aside for a little bit.”
