Flames announce humanitarian awards and nominations

The Calgary Flames organization formally announced a handful of nominations for humanitarian awards for both the National Hockey League and American Hockey League sides of the ledger today.

The team’s nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Award, “awarded to the player that best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy contribution in his community as voted on by his teammates,” is captain Mark Giordano. Nominated for the third consecutive season by the Flames, Giordano has been very visible in the community by way of his Team Giordano initiative which benefits local schools. He won the NHL Foundation Player Award for his humanitarian endeavours last season.

Speaking of the NHL Foundation Player Award, Mikael Backlund is the team’s nominee for that award. That award goes to the player “who applies the core values of hockey—commitment, perseverance and teamwork—to enrich the lives of people in his community.” If you ask me what the difference is between the two awards, it’s that different groups administer them. Backlund is a big supporter of ALS Society of Alberta, Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta, and Special Olympics Calgary. The nomination adds to a growing trophy case for the Swede reflecting his efforts on and off the ice: he won the Sportsnet 3 Star Cup in addition to being honoured with the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award by the Flames for his commitment to the community.

Meanwhile, down on the farm, Mark Jankowski has been named the Stockton Heat’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his contributions to the Stockton community. An AHL rookie, Jankowski has reportedly been very involved in the team’s many school visits. As the team’s winner of the award, he’s one of 30 nominees for the AHL’s Yanick Dupre Memorial Award for community service and humanitarian work.