WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals announced Wednesday Tom Wilson will be the club’s 2023-24 nominee for the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
The King Clancy Memorial trophy is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
In 2018, Wilson created Forty Three’s Friends, a program where he provides tickets and special meet and greet opportunities to families affiliated with Make-A-Wish Mid Atlantic and United Heroes League.
In December 2023, Wilson surprised more than 70 local children at a hockey clinic located at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Wilson is also a member of "So Kids Can" with teammates Nicklas Backstrom and Martin Fehervary and Elliot in the Morning’s Elliot Segal. The players and Segal donate $50 to So Kids Can for every Capitals win during the regular season and $100 for every win during playoffs. This season’s campaign has raised nearly $35,000.
The King Clancy Memorial Trophy was presented in 1988 by the NHL’s Board of Governors in honor of Frank “King” Clancy, a beloved figure in the League for decades as a player, referee, coach, manager and goodwill ambassador. A three-time Stanley Cup Champion and 1958 inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Clancy was voted as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the League’s Centennial Celebration in 2017.
The King Clancy winner will be chosen by a selection committee consisting of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and, for the first time, former winners of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the historic NHL Foundation Player Award.
The nominee with the most votes will be named the winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and receive a $25,000 donation to benefit a charity or charities of their choice. New this year, the winner will also be eligible to elect that their Club receive a grant from the NHL, up to $20,000, to help organize a special activation related to his humanitarian cause.