A blueliner is one of many Edmonton Oilers up for some hardware this season.
On Tuesday, the NHL revealed the 32 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. For the fourth year in a row, Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse is the team’s nominee for the award.
The trophy is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
Along with winning the award, the victor will receive a $25,000 grant to benefit a charity of the player’s choosing, in addition to a grant of up to $20,000 to that person’s NHL team to help organize a special activation related to their chosen cause.
Nurse has been helping provide underrepresented youth, featuring refugees, Indigenous kids and newcomers to Canada the opportunity to play hockey at no cost. He’s an ambassador for the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation’s Every Kid Deserves a Shot initiative and Free Play for Kids.
“All kids should get a chance in life, no matter who they are, where they came from or what they look like,” Nurse said in a release. “Like standing up for my teammates on the ice, I am here for the kids who need me – that’s what is important to me and that will never change.”
Along with his work in Edmonton, Nurse has donated $40,000 annually to support recipients of the Darnell Nurse Excellence Scholarship at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School, a school where Nurse graduated from in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, in 2013.
Three Oilers have won the award in the past. Hockey Hall of Famer Kevin Lowe was the first to do so in 1989-90. Former captain Ethan Moreau won the King Clancy in 2008-09, while defenceman Andrew Ference was given the award in 2013-14.
The King Clancy Memorial Trophy was first awarded after the 1987-88 season. Last year, New York Islanders captain Anders Lee took home the King Clancy.
