Subban is Devils’ King Clancy Nominee

It is almost NHL Awards season and the Devils have made their choice for nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

According to Catherine Bogart of the “Inside the Devils Blog” on the Devils’ official app, that nominee is PK Subban.

The trophy goes annually “to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice, and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.”

The Devils defenseman has been very philanthropic throughout his career. From his work with the Montreal Children’s Hospital to founding the PK Subban Foundation in 2014 while with the Canadiens to the Blueline Buddy program started when he was with the Nashville Predators. As Bogart put it: “throughout his 12 seasons in the NHL, he has worked in the greater Newark, Montreal and Nashville communities.”

He brought the Blueline Buddies – a program designed to bring kids from the inner city and pair them with a community police officer to help foster trust and communication between the police and kids who may not be in a position to trust them – to Newark when he became a member of the Devils in 2019.

He worked with the program digitally this year, as in-person hosting was not an option. He virtually held video conference meetings with the Blueline Buddies program members as well as “members of the medical community, front-line workers and those who have served their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

As Bogart mentioned, he “also works to grow the sport of hockey as a role model for others.”

Subban said: “It’s about having an influence on kids who look like me coming up through the sport. Giving them that hope, in seeing where I’ve come from and where I am today. I feel I have the power to change lives through the sport and connect with people through this program and beyond. That’s really important to me especially given the current climate.”

Congratulations to PK Subban on this honor. The NHL Awards show will take place in June.

Subban is Finalist for King Clancy Trophy

In what has been a difficult 2020 for everyone in general and the Devils in particular, some good news was announced yesterday.

Defenseman PK Subban has been named as a finalist for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy according to Amanda Stein on the “Inside the Devils Blog” on the Devils’ official app.

The King Clancy Trophy is given “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.” He is a finalist with the Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba and the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist.

Subban’s contributions to the community around him, be it Montreal, Nashville or Newark, are legendary. In addition to what he does for the city he plays in, Subban also made a $50,000 donation to George Floyd’s daughter through a fundraiser, according to the NHL’s media release. With Subban leading the charge, other athletes contributed as well, eventually raising $1.5 million for her.

Subban also has the PK Subban Foundation, “which aims to create a positive change through building a community of people who are passionate about helping children around the globe.” The Blueline Buddies program is a part of this, bringing together Newark-area police and youth to attend a Devils game and get a meet-and-greet with Subban himself.

Subban also donated $10 million to the Montreal Children’s Hospital through the foundation and he also “created the Subban Defence League” which is a summer hockey camp that “is dedicated to helping and guiding tomorrow’s leaders.” He and his coaches strive to give kids “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn how to be a champion in sport, as well as in life.

The foundation also created “PKSFWEEKMTL,” which is “a weeklong fundraiser that generated more than $500,000 and is set to again take place in August.” This event helps raise money for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The winner of the award will be announced in time for the NHL Awards in late-September/early-October.