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." The award was named in honor of Frank "King" Clancy, a beloved figure in the League for decades as a player, referee, coach, manager and goodwill ambassador.
Nominees are selected by their respective NHL teams, and the winner will be chosen by a committee of senior NHL executives. The selection committee focuses on commitment to a particular cause or community, engagement and influence, and a clear and measurable impact on the community. The last Bruins nominee to win the award was Patrice Bergeron in 2013.
Foligno, who joined the Bruins for the 2021-22 season, has actively been involved in philanthropic efforts both locally and nationally throughout the entire season. In Boston, Foligno participated in every virtual visit the Bruins hosted with local children's hospitals this year, as well as the Bruins annual holiday toy shopping event.
Additionally, Foligno and his wife Janelle started The Heart's Playbook Foundation in 2020 in honor of their daughter Milana, who has been battling heart complications since she was born. The Foundation provides help to patients and their families by working with the best physicians, care, and technology available in heart health.
The Foligno family participated in Heart Health Night at TD Garden on April 12, where they provided gift bags to heart health patients and heart healthy recipes to share throughout the Bruins game. Additionally, Janelle's book 'Dear Heart,' signed by Nick, Janelle, and Milana, was available at the ProShop powered by '47 with all proceeds benefitting the Boston Bruins Foundation and the Heart's Playbook Foundation.
The complete list of 2021-22 King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominees are:
Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf
Arizona: Andrew Ladd
Boston: Nick Foligno
Buffalo: Jeff Skinner
Calgary: Mikael Backlund
Carolina: Jordan Staal
Chicago: Connor Murphy
Colorado: Nazem Kadri
Columbus: Jack Roslovic
Dallas: Jason Robertson
Detroit: Alex Nedeljkovic
Edmonton: Darnell Nurse
Florida: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles: Cal Petersen
Minnesota: Matt Dumba
Montreal: Jake Allen
Nashville: Luke Kunin
New Jersey: P.K. Subban
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Chris Kreider
Ottawa: Nick Holden
Philadelphia: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh: Bryan Rust
San Jose: Matt Nieto
Seattle: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis: Ryan O'Reilly
Tampa Bay: Victor Hedman
Toronto: Wayne Simmonds
Vancouver: Bo Horvat
Vegas: Max Pacioretty
Washington: Garnet Hathaway
Winnipeg: Josh Morrissey
