Montreal Canadiens' Andrei Markov nominated for Masterton trophy

Montreal Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov has been nominated as a candidate for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an award given to players who demonstrate perseverance and sportsmanship in hockey.

The longtime Habs player was nominated by the Montreal branch of the Professional Hockey Writers Association for the second time in three years.

Markov has played in all 76 Habs games this season. At 36 years old, he has collected 44 points and nine goals, all while serving about 25 minutes of ice time per game.

The Russian has been with the Montreal Canadiens organization since 2000.

He suffered several injuries between 2009 and 2011 and underwent multiple knee surgeries, putting him out of commission for nearly a year.