King Clancy Memorial Trophy – NHL Award For Humanitarian Contribution
The NHL also acknowledges players who have had an impact on their community, aside from awarding them for being named the greatest or chosen as the best for a particular quality relating to the sport. The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is given to athletes for their selfless deeds and contributions to the betterment of their neighborhood.
Below is a brief overview of the NHL’s King Clancy Award’s history.
History Of The King Clancy Memorial Trophy
The King Clancy Award was not the first honor given to an NHL player for their humanitarian efforts. The Charlie Conacher Humanitarian Award was the first award that was exactly like the current Clancy Trophy. The criteria for this prize were identical to those of the Clancy Award.
The Charlie Conacher Award, however, was discontinued in 1983–84, some 16 years after it was first given out. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Harold Ballard donated the Clancy Memorial Award in an effort to further discourage philanthropic acts.
Harold referred to Francis Michael “King” Clancy as “one of the greatest humanitarians who ever lived”, therefore the award was named in his honor.
Hockey player Clancy spent 16 seasons in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before joining the Maple Leafs, first as a coach and subsequently as a team executive, Clancy began his career after his playing days as an NHL referee. Up until his passing on November 18, 1986, Clancy was in this position.
The prize was given out in the 1987–88 season, two years later.
About The King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Players who exhibit the best, honorable, and virtuous humanitarian deeds both on and off the ice are awarded the King Clancy Memorial Award. This includes initiatives undertaken to advance one’s neighborhood, district, state, or even nation.
A special member committee from the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) and NHL Broadcasters’ Association votes to determine the Clancy Award winners.
This committee seeks distinction in acts of kindness and their effects on the community’s improvement and the number of lives they affect. The top three players who received the most votes are named as finalists, just like in every other NHL poll.
The King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner is then revealed during the ceremony from the list of finalists.
Winners Of The King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Since the NHL season of 1987–1988, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy has been given out 35 times. The award was given out in the NHL for the 35th time during the 2022–23 season. It was given out 35 times rather than 36 times (if counting the years from 1987 to 2023) because of the NHL lockout in the 2004–05 season.
We shall examine the teams and individuals who have won the most Clancy trophies in this section.
NHL Team With Most Clancy Trophy
Only 23 teams have been recognized as trophy winners out of the 35 trophies that have been given over the years, and players have received the award 36 times overall. This means that nine NHL teams still don’t have a member of their squad win the award.
The only NHL team to get the honor four times is the Calgary Flames. The Calgary Flames were the first team to win the Clancy Trophy. Since then, the Flames have had three additional winners, and their fourth winner coming from the 2022–23 season.
With three each, the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks are second only to the Flames in terms of trophies won.
| No. | NHL Teams | No. Of Clancy Trophies |
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 3 |
| 2 | Buffalo Sabres | 1 |
| 3 | Calgary Flames | 4 |
| 4 | Carolina Hurricanes | 1 |
| 5 | Colorado Avalanche | 1 |
| 6 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 1 |
| 7 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 |
| 8 | Edmonton Oilers | 3 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Kings | 1 |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | 2 |
| 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 |
| 12 | Nashville Predators | 1 |
| 13 | New Jersey Devils | 1 |
| 14 | New York Islanders | 2 |
| 15 | New York Rangers | 1 |
| 16 | Ottawa Senators | 1 |
| 17 | Phoenix Coyotes | 1 |
| 18 | St. Louis Blues | 1 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1 |
| 20 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1 |
| 21 | Vancouver Canucks | 3 |
| 22 | Washington Capitals | 1 |
| 23 | Winnipeg Jets | 1 |
| Total | 35 |
NHL Player With The Most Clancy Trophy
Henrik Sedin, who won it twice, is the NHL player with the most King Clancy Memorial Trophies. He is the only player to have won the trophy twice, doing so with Daniel Sedin in the 2017–18 season. He won the first title in the 2015–16 season.
Due to his significant involvement in the Canucks’ charity event during the 2015–16 season, he received the trophy. In addition, he and his brother established the Sedin Family Foundation, gave $1.5 million to the BC Children’s Hospital, and supported Clubhouse 36, an after-school program for at-risk adolescents.
His twin brother, who is also a Vancouver Canucks player, tied for the second award during the 2017–18 season. He and his twin brother, also known as the Sedin twins, were honored for their many humanitarian contributions that have improved the lives of innumerable youngsters.
The raising and contribution of approximately $42 million dollars since the year 2000 is one illustration of several charity accomplishments they have done.
Some Recent Winners Of The King Clancy Trophy
Jason Zucker (2018-19)
The Minnesota Wild’s Jason Zucker received the King Clancy Memorial trophy for the NHL’s 2018–19 campaign. He launched the #GIVE16 fundraising initiative that year, in 2017–18.
He contributed $160,000 at the campaign’s beginning, and it ultimately raised $1.2 million. The University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis received this donation.
Matt Dumba (2019-20)
A Minnesota Wild player also earned the Clancy trophy for the 2020–21 season. Yet Matt Dumba, not Jason Zucker, was the one who did it. Since his debut in the NHL, defenseman Matt Dumba has been a member of the Minnesota Wild. The defensemen received the Clancy trophy in recognition of his participation in a number of worthwhile endeavors, including:
- Being part of the founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, which saw to the curbing of racism among players in ice hockey
- Donations of over $11,000 dollars to the Australian Wildfire relief
- Aiding more than 60 families during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Being a zealous member in the “Rebuilding Minnesota” campaign that saw the restoration of shops and local businesses affected by the George Floyd protest
- Also, being a proactive member of the Minneapolis Athletes dedicated to seeing students are educated
Pekka Rinne (2020-21)
Pekka Rinne played goalie for the Nashville Predators from the 2004 NHL Draft until the 2020–21 season, which was his final campaign. He received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in his final season.
His support of the “365 funds” campaign, which was launched by the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with the intention of raising money for cancer awareness and research, is among the humanitarian acts that have earned him this award. By 2020–21, the campaign that began in 2012–13 had accumulated more than $2 million.
Pekka Rinne additionally took part in the Nashville Predators’ “Feed the Frontline” campaign. The plan during the COVID-19 epidemic was to feed those working on the front lines of battling and treating sick people with food.
P. K. Subban (2021-22)
For the 2021–22 season, the New Jersey Devils defenceman received the King Clancy award. Ryan Getzlaf and Darnell Nurse finished as the trophy’s first and second runners-up, respectively.
Subban donated $1 million to fund a mental health center as one of his humanitarian deeds that earned him this honor (Le Spot). In addition, he gave Ukrainian cancer patients a donation of up to $100,000.
He also established the PK Subban Foundation and Blueline Buddies. Also, he supported those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, assisted underserved youngsters, and fought for justice against social and racial inequality.
Mikael Backlund (2022-23)
The King Clancy Trophy was most recently won by Mikael Backlund. Anders Lee and Darnell Nurse were the other two athletes that made the finalist list.
The ALS Association of Alberta received significant sponsorship from the Calgary Flames’ center. Also, he served as an ambassador for Kids Cancer Care and the Special Olympics Calgary.
In addition, the footballer and his wife founded Lily’s Care in collaboration with Parachute for Dogs. The goal of this platform was to guarantee that children in foster care could continue to care for their pets while receiving medical treatment.
Conclusion
The King Clancy Trophy is different from other awards such as the Jim Gregory Manager of the Year Award, the Stanley Cup, the Ted Lindsay or even the Art Ross. It focuses more on the good deeds that certain players have done and how it has improved the society.
The main aim is to recognize those who have done these selfless deeds and encourage others to do the same in their own little way. Thank you for reading.
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