For the second time in four years, Brady Tkachuk is Ottawa’s nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award 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.”
Tkachuk was nominated for the award in 2020 as well, losing out to the winner that year, Minnesota’s Matt Dumba. Thomas Chabot (2021) and Nick Holden (2022) were Ottawa’s nominees in each of the last two years.
Anytime you’re talking about a leadership award, Tkachuk’s name will always be among the first Senator names that spring to mind. The 23-year-old has packed a lot of leadership into his five seasons in Ottawa. On the ice, he’s the guy most likely to drag his team into the fight.
Off the ice, with each passing year, he gets more and more involved in the community.
Tkachuk is all-in on several local initiatives, some of them publicized and some of them not, and he’s probably the guy most likely to randomly jump into a game of street hockey with the kids. His acts of thoughtfulness are too many to count.
Earlier this year, Tkachuk threw his support behind BGC Ottawa, starting “Tkachuks Captains.” The new program will award seven members at each of the four BGC Ottawa locations a Senators jersey, adorned with the captain’s C, to champion their own leadership in their day-to-day lives in the community.
The King Clancy Trophy was first awarded in 1988 to honor the late Francis M. “King” Clancy, who was basically the 1920s version of Tkachuk, starring for the Ottawa Senators 100 years ago. Clancy finished his playing career in Toronto, then became an NHL referee, coach and general manager.
The trophy seems like an award that has Tkachuk’s name written all over it. And if not this year, it will be someday.
Here’s the rest of the competition for the 2022-23 award.
Anaheim Ducks: Kevin Shattenkirk
Arizona Coyotes: Travis Boyd
Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron
Buffalo Sabres : Alex Tuch
Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche: Devon Toews
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson
Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers : Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings: Mikey Anderson
Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba
Montreal Canadiens: Jordan Harris
Nashville Predators: Juuse Saros
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Jacob Trouba
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin
San Jose Sharks: Luke Kunin
Seattle Kraken: Chris Driedger
St. Louis Blues: Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman
Toronto Maple Leafs: Morgan Rielly
Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson
Vegas Golden Knights: Reilly Smith
Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson
Winnipeg Jets: Blake Wheeler
