Tom Wilson deserves the King Clancy Trophy

Just days after Tom Wilson was the recipient of the first ever Caps Care Community Award, the Washington Capitals forward was announcd as the Caps nominee for the NHL's King Clany Memorial Trophy.

The trophy is awarded annually "to the player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

For the Caps Care Community Award, Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation donated $10,000 to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. Per the press release, the award was established to recognize an individual player annually for their contributions to the community.

The release also stated the recipient will be selected annually by an internal committee on the basis of several criteria, inlcuding but not limited to: the support of causes personally close to the player, participation in team and league initiatiatives and involvement in programming that benifits the community across Washington D.C., Virginia and/or Maryland.

Wilson gives back through 43's Friends as well as Make a Wish Mid Atlantic, impacting the lives of many. 43's Friends was established in 2018 where he provides tickets and a special posgame meet and greet to families affiliated both with Make a Wish and the United Heroes League.

In December Wilson surprised more than 70 local kids affiliated with United Heroes League by joining them in a hockey clinic at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. He additionally teamed up with the NHLPA and the UHL to surprise four deserving military members and their families with the news they would be attending the 2024 NHL All Star weekend in Toronto.

Additionally Wilson is a part of So Kids Can with teammates Nicklas Backstrom and Martin Fehervary as well as Elliot Segal from Elliot in the Morning. The four of them each plege $50 per Capitals win during the regular season and $100 per win during the playoffs to a youth focused nonprofit.

This season's campaigned raised nearly $35,000 to date for Fight for Children. The King Clancy Winner will be chosen by a selection committee consisting of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and for the first time ever, former winners of the King Clany 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 on awards night and recieve a check for a $25,000 donation to benefit the charity of their choice. We hope Tom Wilson gets the votes he needs for this award that he certainly deserves.

Now Tom Wilson takes on a team that loves him maybe more than we as Caps fans do. He will 100 percent be a player to watch when the Caps square off against the Rangers in Game 1 on Sunday afternooon at 3 p.m. on ESPN.