The Ben Shaffer Memorial Lecture
Dr. Benjamin Shaffer was the NHL Team Physician Society President from 2009-2011, and served as the Team Physician for the Washington Capitals Hockey Club. He was a University of Florida Graduate (BS and MD) and did his orthopaedic surgery residency at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in NYC. His fellowship was at the world renowned Kerlan Jobe Clinic, and he practiced in the Washington DC area where he was known as “Dr. Smiles”. In addition to his work with the Capitals, he served as the Hockey Physician at the Vancouver Olympic Games, and worked with athletes from the Washington Wizards, the Nationals, the Freedom and the Georgetown University Hoyas. He died in 2015 leaving behind his wife, children, and many friends and colleagues in the NHLTPS and the sports medicine world.
Previous Ben Shaffer Memorial Lectures
- 2015 – David Mulder, MD: The Doctor/Patient (Player) Relationship in the NHL Athlete
- 2016 – Joel Boyd, MD: Historical Perspective of the Black Athlete in Hockey
- 2017 – Gary Dorshimer MD: Psychology of Injury and Rehab for Athlete
- 2018 – Mark Aubry MD: International Hockey and the Olympics
- 2019 – Scott D. Gillogly MD: Sports Medicine in the Middle East
- 2020 – No Lecture, Pandemic
- 2021 – No Lecture, Pandemic
- 2022 – Peter DeLuca MD: Over 20 Years of Being a Team Physician: What I’ve Liked, What I Didn’t Like, and What I’ve Learned
- 2023 – Bronson Elizabeth Delasobera, MD: Lessons Learned – Navigating the NHL as a Female Team Physician and Beyond
- 2024 – David S. Mulder, MD: Reflections of Being an NHL Team Physician for 60 Years
- 2025 – Anthony Colucci, MD: Emergency Medicine in Sports Medicine
25-Year Service Recognition
2023: TBD
2024: TBD
The Mulder Cup
The Mulder Cup recognizes the team’s medical staff member who provided exceptional service during the regular season. The winner is determined by taking nominations of all of the training staff for all NHL teams, and is named in honor of Dr. David S.Mulder, who served as a team physician for the Montreal Canadiens for 60 remarkable years. Dr. Mulder was a previous President of the NHL Team Physicians Society, and was honored to deliver the Ben Shaffer Memorial Lecture in 2016 and again in 2024.
Previous Winners of the Mulder Cup
- 2023 – Colorado Avalanche
- 2024 – Colorado Avalanche
- 2025 – Pittsburgh Penguins
Past Presidents List
1986 – Don Miller, MD (Minnesota)
1988 – Stephen Lombardo, MD (LA)
1990 – Gordon Cameron, MD (Edmonton)
1992 – Jeffrey Minkoff, MD (NYI)
1994 – Ross Davidson, MD (Vancouver)
1996 – Terry Groves, MD (Calgary)
1998 – Bart Nisonson, MD (NYR)
2000 – Charles Burke, MD (Pittsburgh)
2002 – Andrew Parker, MD (Colorado)
2004 – David Mulder, MD (Montreal)
2007 – Scott Gillogly, MD (Atlanta)
2009 – Ben Shaffer, MD (Washington)
2012 – Don Chow, MD (Ottawa)
2015 – Tony Colucci, DO (Detroit)
2017 – Bradley Nelson, MD (Minnesota)
2019 – Mark Aubry, MD (Ottawa)
2022 – Jed Kuhn, MD (Nashville)
2024 – Dhiren Naidu, MD (Edmonton)