Lasting Legacy

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- The on-ice losses are never easy -- for players and fans alike. The wins and losses come and go with a season.
But the off-ice actions? Those are part of the legacy professional athletes leave behind.

For the past several years, Matt Dumba has made community work in Minnesota a priority, while also working to making hockey a more inclusive sport with the ultimate goal of eradicating racism from the game completely as part of his legacy; a legacy that now includes being elected by his teammates as the inaugural Tom Kurvers Humanitarian Award, created to honor a Wild player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice while making a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.
"The boys acknowledging me as a leader in the community like that, it feels good and hopefully inspiring them to get out in the community as well and make a difference," Dumba said. "We're in a different spot than most and we have a platform to be able to use that to change lives is something that has always meant a lot to me."
The recipient of the NHL's
2019-20 King Clancy Memorial Trophy
for similar work, Dumba has contributed his time, money and efforts to a number of community initiatives throughout his career. He helped form the Hockey Diversity Alliance in June of 2020 and through that has been at the forefront of making the game more inclusive and exposing hockey to communities who otherwise might not have the opportunity.
"It's just something that has come naturally and organic," said Dumba. "I want kids to see someone who looks like them in hockey so they can be a part of our game. That's it."
This past February,
Dumba hosted his third annual Matt Dumba Hockey Without Limits camp
with a record numbers of youth players (more than 300) from minority and disabled groups in the Twin Cities attending.
A dozen of his teammates including Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Reaves, Matt Boldy, Connor Dewar, Mason Shaw, Brandon Duhaime, Jon Merrill and Calen Addison also joined him and the kids on the outdoor ice.
"We've got great teammates," said Dumba, who "They've come out and supported me a lot in a lot of different events, and listen to me, heard me out on things that I am working towards and changes I'm trying to make in our game, they've been there every step of the way."
The Wild will present the award annually in memory of the late Tom Kurvers, the Wild assistant general manager and Minnesota hockey legend who passed away in June of 2021 following a courageous battle with lung cancer.
The Minnesota Wild Foundation will make a $5,000 donation to the
DinoMights
on behalf of Dumba for being the inaugural recipient of the Tom Kurvers Humanitarian Award, which was presented on the ice postgame on Tuesday by Kurvers' kids.
A native of Bloomington, Kurvers played high school hockey at Jefferson High School before starring at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he won the 1985 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's best player. He later appeared in 659 games over 10 seasons with seven NHL franchises before holding numerous front office roles throughout two decades. A loving father of four and a friend to countless more, Kurvers is remembered for his friendly demeanor, upbeat attitude, willingness to share an old story and his zest for life.
"I got to know 'TK' for a number of years and he was just an awesome dude. Always someone you could talk to," Dumba said. "I'm thankful to remember him in this way."
"In general I'm thankful for my teammates and the organization for all the help they give me and my family, support me the whole way through this. Couldn't have done it without them. It's really special."