The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is one of the most honorable nominations a hockey player can receive during their career. The trophy isn't awarded because of how many points or goals you record during a season. It gets rewarded for being a class act on and off the ice. For Matt Duchene, that honor has come as he's the Dallas Stars' nominee for the King Clancy Trophy this season. While Duchene's passion shines on the ice, it shines even brighter in the community.
Since arriving in Dallas last season, Duchene has wanted to give back to the Stars' community. This year, he launched Duchene's HonkeyTonk, which partners with the Dallas Stars Foundation and Cancer Support Community North Texas. For each Dallas Stars home game, he gives a deserving family a suite to watch the Stars play. Afterwards, he will personally meet with them after the game. When no family is attending a game, he will auction off the suite to fans to raise additional funds for cancer.
Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts mentioned on the Stars Website that he's proud to nominate Duchene for a prestigious award such as the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
"“His generosity and selflessness are evident in the ways that he’s used his time and resources. We are proud to name him as our King Clancy candidate as he is a tremendous representation of our organization.”"Dallas Stars President Brad Alberts
That's not all that Duchene does off the ice. He raises money to help fight cancer in Canada every summer. He hosts the Matt Duchene Charity Golf Classic in Haliburton, Ontario, raising funds for the Haliburton Health Services Foundation. It has raised over half a million dollars since Duchene created the golf tournament. He also raises money for other organizations. Talk about having a classy act on and off the ice. Jim Nill looks for that type of player when signing free agents.
It feels bittersweet with the Stars starting the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. While Duchene will finish the season with the Stars, he will be a highly sought-after free agent this summer. When you record 30 goals and 51 assists, other teams will pay a hefty amount to steal him away from the Stars. While Duchene will want to stay in Dallas since the Nashville Predators are still paying him after being bought out by them, things can change quickly.
Duchene has been a class act during his tenure, and I hope it continues into next season. As someone who's lost a family member to cancer, what Duchene is doing is fantastic. With all the stress that gets put on a family with a member fighting cancer, enjoying a couple of hours at a hockey game can relieve some of that stress. I hope the Stars can keep him in Dallas for a bit longer. I was concerned when Nill signed him to that first one-year deal, but I'm not after being nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.