In the past the Canucks waved their flag loudly and proudly around their players’ community work. They should get back to that.<\/p>\n
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Published Apr 11, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 8\u00a0minutes ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n If you pay any attention to the Vancouver Canucks<\/a>, you know well by now that Brock Boeser<\/a> is one of the good guys.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n From the moment he was drafted, stories abounded of the good deeds he\u2019s done: his interest in rescue dogs, the time he took a superfan to prom, his support for Parkinson\u2019s research, his regular visits to B.C. Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Friday the NHL announced he\u2019s the Canucks\u2019 2026 nominee for the King Clancy Trophy, which recognizes community work by the league\u2019s players.<\/p>\n A lot of Boeser\u2019s work is quiet, but the front-line stuff is notable. He\u2019s a bit of a throwback to the old days of the Canucks, when the players\u2019 work in the community was front and centre.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a good story, one that the team would do wise to channel going forward. With the team\u2019s on-ice fortunes, to put it gently, in transition, how they win over friends around town matters a lot.<\/p>\n But we don\u2019t really know the details in the end. The NHL announced the 32 nominees, as they always do, but the team didn\u2019t make a supplementary announcement on why Boeser\u2019s this year\u2019s nominee. In the past, they\u2019ve generally sent out a press release about what their nominee has been up to.<\/p>\n Evern Boeser himself was pretty quiet on the nomination; with no reporters on this road trip, it\u2019s up to team reporter Olivia McDonald to ask about what it means and the always friendly Boeser smiled and offered a short response in a video released by the team.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m grateful I can be in this league and make a difference in people\u2019s lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Now in fairness here, the Canucks aren\u2019t the only team to undersell their nominee: at best half of the league\u2019s teams have made note of their nominee on their team website.<\/p>\n The King Clancy is a bit of an odd duck award: it\u2019s not really about hockey, though there\u2019s an element of saying this is what a hockey player should be. It\u2019s been handed out for 38 years, first donated by Harold Ballard in 1988 to recognize a player every year for their work as what Ballard termed as \u201ca humanitarian.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that Clancy was one of the top humanitarians,\u201d Ballard said in 1986 about why he was putting forward the new award with the NHL\u2019s blessing. Clancy worked in hockey for 65 years and, before his death in 1986, had worked with Ballard for years, so the nomination made sense. But Ballard was as nasty a person who ever lived: known for his penny-pinching ways as Maple Leafs owner, fighting with his star players, micromanaging his staff and quite possibly turning a blind eye to sexual abuse inside the walls of Maple Leaf Gardens. There were also allegations after his death<\/a> that he\u2019d abused youths.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Despite its ugly parentage, the trophy marches on. Three Canucks<\/a> have won it over the years: the Sedin twins<\/a> and Trevor Linden. And year after the year, the committee of writers and broadcasters have picked players who have engaged in impressive work in the community. Last year, Panthers captain Sasha Barkov was the winner after he donated $420,000 to a local children\u2019s hospital, a facility he\u2019s spoken openly about visiting more than once.<\/p>\n In the past the Canucks were very vocal about how important community involvement was, with the likes of Pat Quinn, Brian Burke and Mike Gillis all setting the expectation that their players would be visible in their work. It was a win-win deployment of the team\u2019s soft power; having the likes of Linden and the Sedins doing good work all over town did a lot to sustain good will towards the brand, over and above raising up the community, which was the base purpose in all this.<\/p>\n Boeser has talked a lot lately about how important it is for the Canucks to reset their culture; his instincts toward his neighbours should be commended and raised up.<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Canucks Live: Finishing with a whimper, disinterest abounds<\/p>\n![\"brock](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hkn-blue-jackets-canucks-20251108_299772414.jpg\")
Friday the NHL announced he’s the Canucks’ 2026 nominee for the King Clancy Trophy, which recognizes community work by the league’s players. Photo by DARRYL DYCK \/THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.9.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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Brock Boeser advances the puck against Zakhar Bardakov of the Colorado Avalanche Dec. 2, 2025. A lot of Boeser\u2019s work is quiet, but the front-line stuff is notable. He\u2019s a bit of a throwback to the old days of the Canucks, when the players\u2019 work in the community was front and centre. Photo by Matthew Stockman \/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Zeev](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775942301_487_cp176086152_302405969.jpg\")
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