New York Islanders captain Anders Lee has been nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Stan Fischler shares why he is deserving of the award.

A couple of years after Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin bought the New York Islanders, Jon tossed a pre-season private party for friends on the roof of a boutique hotel in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

The night was young, the view was beautiful, and the entire scene was as upbeat as the opening of an MGM musical.

It was there that I first met and chatted with Anders Lee and his then-girlfriend Grace Dooley.

The mere fact that Lee was there surprised me. At the time, he was relatively new with the Islanders, with no certainty that he would become a fixture and eventually the club's captain.

Even more surprising was the fact that he was the only player at the fete and, obviously, the stickhandler-celebrity who was introduced as the featured star.

Ledecky was very prescient in that regard.

I was very impressed with the party's opening ceremony as well as the 6-3, 231-pound hulk of a hockey player who seemed so at ease in the throng. Off the top, I remember thinking that there was something uniquely refreshing about the big guy.

About a half-hour later -- schmoozing time for the assemblage -- by chance, Grace and Anders sat down across the table from me. Almost immediately, we got off into a more than superficial conversation about everything.

"Tell me about Brooklyn," he said. "All about it."

That was a good question since I was just completing my autobiographical book, "Tales of Brooklyn," and here we were in one of the glitziest, upscale parts of the borough.

What then struck me about Anders and Grace was their personal focus. This was not a throwaway conversation; they really wanted my inside scoop on Kings County, the newest home of the Islanders.

"Well," said Anders, "since we're gonna be playing at Barclays, I ought to get to know about the neighborhood. We might decide to find a place to live in Brooklyn instead of out on the Island."

So, what's my point?

By the end of the evening, I got the feeling that this was one Islander I wanted to know beyond the post-game interviews and other superficial encounters.

I wouldn't say that me and the big guy bonded, but I knew we both felt at least like real pals.

From that point on, I took a special interest in Anders Lee and his future -- and then present -- wife, Grace; a very special couple.

I bring this up now, having noticed that Anders has been chosen as the Islanders candidate for the annual King Clancy award.

Clancy, who was a Hall of Fame defenseman with Ottawa and then the Maple Leafs, also was a popular NHL referee and later coach of the Leafs. He was, easily, one of the most popular personalities in major league hockey.

The Clancy Award is given to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice, and has made a noteworthy contribution in his community."

Voters include senior NHL executives as well as Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

Lee qualifies on all counts listed by the Clancy committee. These include having a clear and meaningfully positive impact on the community as well as a definitive investment of time and resources.

Few NHL players are as invested in Long Island's community projects as much as Lee.

Another requirement is a commitment to a particular cause as well as the league's community initiatives.

Anders' particular -- and ongoing -- charity is called Jam Kancer In The Can.

Several years ago -- after seeing a video of a cancer patient, Fenov Pierre-Louis, at an event, Lee has hosted several projects for the organization.

Plus, Anders has helped raise over $300,000 for childhood cancer research and, further, established the Fenov Memorial Scholarship after Fenov Pierre-Louis' passing in 2018. The scholarship is available to five high school seniors.

The winner of the Clancy Award receives a $25,000 prize which is directed toward the charity of his choice. Further, two runners-up receive $5,000 each, which also is for charitable purposes.

Speaking of charitable efforts, Northwell Health Chief Executive Officer Michael Dowling was the first recipient of the Charles B. Wang Community Service Award.

The prize recognizes leaders within the Metro NY community who have made a special or profound impact on the lives of individuals, families, or the community at large.

Dowling exemplifies the same qualities that the Islanders late co-owner exhibited daily: empathy, dedication to positive change, and forward-thinking.

In Michael's honor, the Islanders Children's Foundation and the Charles B. Wang Foundation each donated $50,000 to Northwell's Health Foundation..

At a UBS Arena ceremony, Islanders legend Denis Potvin and Islanders Co-owner Jon Ledecky presented Dowling with a silver stick in recognition of the honor.