Every year, each NHL team nominates a player for the King Clancy Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.

This year, more than ever, Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki has shown himself to be an outstanding leader. He took this young Canadiens team on his back and carried it toward the playoffs. He stepped up before the trade deadline and told his GM how much he believed in his team, pleading for the pending free agents not to be traded.

For a second season in a row, he paid for a suite at the Bell Centre that hosts hundreds of youths in need to a Canadiens home game, allowing them to enjoy a much-needed night of distraction. That’s nearly 400 youths this season who were either sick, with special needs, or have experienced the loss of a loved one who benefited from the captain’s commitment to the Montreal Canadiens’ Children Foundation with his captain’s circle program.

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Suzuki and his wife-to-be, Caitlin Fitzgerald, also hosted the Canadiens’ Casino night for the second year running, allowing $270,026 to be raised to support the foundation. However, his involvement goes beyond the scope of the foundation, and he is also an ambassador for the Asista Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health. The second edition of his golf tournament raised $120,500 for Asista and its facility service dog program. The couple even welcomed a dog in training into their household this past winter. Once her training is complete, she will become a fully fledged mobile facility service dog.

The Trophy was first awarded in 1988, and Saku Koivu was the first and last Canadiens player to win the honour. For one last time this regular season, Suzuki will have the opportunity to show how much of a leader he can be when the Canadiens take on the Carolina Hurricanes, needing at least one point to clinch their playoff berth. Montreal could also hope the Columbus Blue Jackets lose to the New York Islanders tomorrow, but given how good the Ohio side has been of late, this isn’t an advisable gamble.

If his team does manage to qualify on Wednesday night, expect Suzuki to have a big hand in that. The skipper has had the best season of his career, scoring 87 points in 81 games, and he always has a starring role in the Canadiens’ accomplishments.

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