Staff
Chicago Blackhawks’ defenceman Duncan Keith was among the 31 NHL players nominated for the this year’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
The 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.
Nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy were selected by their respective NHL clubs.
The winner will be chosen by a committee of senior NHL executives led by Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
The winner will receive a $40,000 donation from the NHL Foundation to benefit a charity or charities of the winner’s choice while the two runners-up each will receive a $5,000 donation.
Finalists will be announced on Monday (April 30) and the winner will be revealed on June 20 during the 2018 NHL awards ceremony.
Keith, who got his minor hockey start while living in Fort Frances as a boy, founded “Keith Relief” in 2011 as a way to alleviate financial and emotion burdens of families and individuals suffering from medical crisis.
Last year, Keith made his first donation to the OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre in Penticton, B.C., which created a new outdoor play court.
It is made from a mix of new and recycled rubber tire material to provide better grip, and offers improved accessibility for children of all ages and developmental levels.
Keith entered a three-year partnership with OSNS–with the play court being the first of several planned projects–to enhance the facility which assists families and children throughout the South Okanagan and Similkameen.
The partnership has a two-faceted schedule, with some of the money also going to help families in financial crisis in the care of their children.
Keith played for the Penticton Panthers (now the Penticton Vees) in the BCHL for the 1999-2001 seasons.
He had a stand-out junior career in Penticton and was recruited by Michigan State University.
After being drafted 54th overall in the second round of the 2002 NHL entry draft, Keith played a second year of college before joining the Kelowna Rockets for 37 games.
He signed with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the 2003-04 season and now is a two-time James Norris Trophy winner and a Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
He also has helped Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup three times.
