ARLINGTON, VA - The Washington Capitals announced today forward Tom Wilson has been named the club’s 2023-24 nominee for the National Hockey League’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
The King Clancy Memorial trophy is awarded annually "to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." Wilson actively gives back to the community through two player programs as well as by being involved in additional initiatives throughout the season.
Wilson was heavily involved in the community during the 2023-24 season, including through his participation in two player programs.
In 2018, Wilson created Forty Three’s Friends, a program through which he provides tickets and a special postgame meet and greet to families affiliated with Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic and United Heroes League. The program launched with Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, focused onchildren who were waiting for their wishes to be granted. In 2019, he expanded Forty Three’s Friends to also include families selected by United Heroes League.
In December, Wilson surprised more than 70 local children affiliated with United Heroes League by joining them in a hockey clinic at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. He also teamed up with the NHLPA and United Heroes League to surprise four deserving military members and their families with the news they would be welcomed by the NHLPA and United Heroes League to the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto.
Wilson is also a member of So Kids Can with teammates Nicklas Backstrom and Martin Fehervary and Elliot in the Morning's Elliot Segal. Through So Kids Can, the players and Segal pledge $50 per Capitals win during the regular-season and $100 per win during the playoffs to a youth-focused nonprofit. Fans were also encouraged to donate at washcaps.com/sokidscan. This season's campaign has raised nearly $35,000 to date for Fight For Children.
So Kids Can also teamed up with Fight For Children, Good Sports and Volo Kids Foundation in March for an equipment donation and youth sports clinic. Through the So Kids Can Initiative, the So Kids Can members donated more than $10,000 in sports equipment to Volo Kids. The brand-new sports equipment including basketballs, soccer balls, water bottles, floor hockey equipment and more will support their free after-school programming. The So Kids Can members made a surprise visit to a Volo Kids youth sports clinic, spending time playing floor hockey and basketball with local kids.
Wilson participated in additional meet and greets throughout season, including during a first responders watch party during practice. While in Toronto for the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, he participated in a Hockey 4 Youth event. He also personally donated to the Capitals Hockey Fights Cancer Campaign and raised money for Movember. He is also an ambassador and volunteer for Wolf Trap Animal Rescue, which specializes in the rescue of animals, dogs and puppies in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland. In December, Wilson was one of 10 local individuals named a Washingtonian of the Year in honor of his efforts to make the region a better place by Washingtonian Magazine.
On April 15, Wilson was named as the inaugural recipient of the Washington Capitals Caps Care Community Award in honor of his efforts in the community during the 2023-24 season. He received a $10,000 donation from Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation in honor of his efforts, which he donated to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. The Caps Care Community Award was established to recognize an individual Capitals player annually for his contributions to the community. A Caps Care Community Award recipient will be selected annually by an internal committee on the basis of several criteria, including but not limited to: support of causes personally close to the player, participation in team and league initiatives and involvement in programming that benefits the community across Washington, D.C., Virginia and/or Maryland.
The King Clancy winner will be chosen by a selection committee consisting of NHLCommissioner 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 his choice. New this year, the winner will also be eligible to elect that his Club receive a grant from the NHL, up to $20,000, to help organize a special activation related to his humanitarian cause.
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.
