NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR NHL FOUNDATION PLAYER AWARD

As the annual NHL Awards show approaches–and travels the miles from Toronto to make its debut in Las Vegas– the nominees were announced for the 11th annual Foundation Player Award, given in recognition of a player’s commitment to enriching the lives of people in their community. The three players up for the distinction–and the $25,000 donated by the NHL to the charity of their choice–are Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings, Alex Kovalev of the Montreal Canadiens, and Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Palms Casino Resort will host the show in its superplush Pearl Concert Theater on June 18th, promising to bring the ambiance, energy, and entertainment level of the annual awards show to a whole new glitzy, Vegas-ey level. But onto the important stuff…the nominees!

DUSTIN BROWN, Los Angeles Kings

Photo: Noah Graham/NHLI via Getty

Brown is immensely active in programs that address childhood obesity and the pursuit of an active, healthy lifestyle for kids. He donated $50 for each of his 285 this season to KaBOOM!, a nonprofit whose mission it is to provide places to play for all children within walking distance of their neighborhood. Brown is also a spokesman for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, as well as a staunch supporter of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

ALEX KOVALEV, Montreal Canadiens

Photo: canadienswatch.com

Kovalev established the Kovalev and Friends Foundation for Children, which sends doctors to Russia to perform medical procedures and teach skills to local surgeons. Children in Quebec also benefit from the foundation through summer camps and other programs. Last year Kovalev produced a DVD of hockey tips and training methods, donating 100% of the proceeds-$120,000 to date!–to the Gift of Life Foundation, which provides kids with open heart surgeries.

RICK NASH, Columbus Blue Jackets

Nash created the #61 Club, which encourages students to make healthy choices and rewards them with tickets to Blue Jackets home games for doing so. He donated $100,000 to the Ohio State University Athletic Dept. to endow a student-athlete scholarship, and was a founding donor of the John H. McConnell Scholarship Fund. Nash also donates $15,000 annually to Santa’s Silent Helpers, which assists Ohio families, single mothers, and elderly experiencing financial hardship.

Frankly, these off-the-ice activities are only the tip of the iceberg for Brown, Kovalev, and Nash when it comes to giving back; all three contribute WAAAYY more to improving the lives of others than we’ll even attempt to list. Simply put, each is an above-and-beyond rockstar nominee for the NHL Foundation Player Award.

As for the outcome of the award, you KNOW we’ll keep you posted…stay tuned!