Photo: Brian Babineau/NHL/Getty ImagesIt was announced on Monday, July 27, that Stars forward Tyler Seguin was nominated for the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
The award is supposed to show a player’s on and off ice leadership qualities and humanitarian impact on their community. When you look at the things Seguin has done during the 2019-2020 season, it is not hard to see why he is a worthy nominee.
Tyler Seguin is one of the four assistant captains for the Stars, wearing his A when the team is at home.
While we could deep dive into Tyler’s leadership skills on ice as an assistant captain of the Stars, I want to focus instead on his contribution to the community in Dallas.
In 2013, Tyler started his own foundation, Seguin’s Stars, which aims to support youth in achieving their physical, emotional, and educational goals.
From the press release, Seguin donated to the relief fund for a AAC employees when pandemic shuttered season pic.twitter.com/f3htu3XQyD
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) July 27, 2020
During the 2016-2017 season, Tyler and the Foundation were able to donate a multi-purpose ball hockey court to the Boys and Girls Club of Collin County. He donates suites to kids at select home games, always meeting them afterward.
When the NHL season was paused on March 12, 2020, Tyler was the first Stars player to donate toward providing relief for American Airlines Center Employees, knowing how important it was for them to be supported while things were unclear about the remainder of the season.
Seguin was also one of the first players on the Stars roster to openly speak out for the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the murder of George Floyd, issuing a statement on both his Twitter and Instagram accounts, stating that he knows he has a responsibility to step up do more about inclusion in hockey.
His statement acknowledged his own complacency in hockey culture and he offered a pledge to do more, saying that he has spent time trying to learn about history and how he can help. More importantly, he followed his statement up with action, attending a memorial service for George Floyd and a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas.
He remains committed to change within hockey culture when it comes to race, stating in an interview that he is planning an initiative of his own as well as joining an NHL lead initiative set to take place once the NHL resumes normal operations.
He is one of the bigger names in the league, and his commitment to action is extremely important and impactful, noting in his most recent post-practice interview that he feels as though players are starting to step up and he thinks they will continue to do so.
Seguin is among an array of extremely worthy nominees, and regardless of if he is chosen as a finalist in early August, the work he has done and hopefully continues to do for the community is no doubt appreciated.
Featured Image: Tom Heitman/NHL
