Anders Lee has been a leader for the New York Islanders on the ice but made significant contributions in his community, earning him the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
Anders Lee has been a leader for the New York Islanders on the ice but made significant contributions in his community, earning him the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
The NHL announced New York Islanders captain Anders Lee has won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the 2023-24 season.
The award is presented annually "to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community," as per the NHL's press release. While each team nominates a player, a selection committee consisting of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and former winners of the King Clancy Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award, which was awarded from 1998 to 2017.
Lee, 33, will receive a $25,000 donation from the NHL on top of the trophy to donate a charity or charities of his choice.
The Edina, Minn., native was a finalist for the King Clancy Trophy last year as well when Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund won it. But Lee's leadership on and off the ice goes back much longer than that.
He became the Islanders' captain in 2018-19 after former captain John Tavares signed for the Toronto Maple Leafs. And in 2017, he formed a friendship with Fenov Pierre-Louis, a teenager who battled cancer and passed away in 2018. Pierre-Louis introduced Lee to the Jam Kancer in the Kan Foundation, which raises funds for families affected by cancer by organizing Kancer Jam events.
Lee's hosted four Kancer Jam tournaments where participants play Kan Jam, a game that involves teams of two players trying to deflect a disc into a can for points. The most recent one in September 2023 raised more than $155,000 for cancer patients, and Lee contributed $30,000.
In 2018 after Pierre-Louis' passing, Lee founded and helps fund the Fenov Scholars college scholarship, which has given out 24 scholarships to graduating high school students who help someone battling cancer.
On top of that, Lee regularly hosts families affected by cancer at every home game for the past five-plus years. He has also donated more than $100,000 to an initiative that provides gifts for families affected by cancer and have financial hardships.
For more on Lee winning the King Clancy Trophy, including Lee's reaction, visit The Hockey News' New York Islanders site.