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Henrik Zetterberg wins King Clancy trophy for community service

MiHockey Staff
zetterberg opener tsp
Photo by Jen Hefner/MiHockey

 

By @MichaelCaples –

Normally, he’s recognized for his work on the ice.

This time, Henrik Zetterberg was honored for his work off of it.

The captain of the Red Wings was named the 2015 recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.

The King Clancy trophy is presented annually to the player who “exemplifies leadership both on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

 

It is the second time in the last three seasons that Zetterberg was recognized for his charitable efforts; in 2012-13, he won the NHL Foundation Player Award that came with a $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice.

That money was used to help the Zetterberg Foundation construct a water project in Kemba, Ethiopia, that when completed this December, will supply 3,000 people in the village with clean, drinkable water for life.

Zetterberg and his wife, Emma, are active both in the Metro Detroit community, as well as with international causes in Ethiopia, Guatemala and Nepal. The Wings’ captain hosts children’s charities, including Metro Detroit area children’s hospitals and mentoring non-profits, at each home game in the Zetterberg Foundation’s official suite.

He is the second Red Wings player to win the award since it was created 27 years ago; Brendan Shanahan received the King Clancy trophy in 2003.

A congratulations goes out to Christy Hammond, the Red Wings’ community relations manager, as well, as Hammond assists the Zetterberg family with their team-related charitable work (see our ‘Hockey Jobs’ profile on Hammond here).

More from the Red Wings’ release:

 

As the team spokesman for the Red Wings annual Smoke Detector Collection, Zetterberg personally matches all smoke detector donations. Working with area fire departments, more than 28,000 smoke detectors have been distributed since 2001 to low-income and physically-disabled residents, who could otherwise not afford one or be able to install one in their home.

Internationally, Zetterberg and his wife built the Chige Primary School in Kemba, Ethiopia, in cooperation with Action Aid Ethiopia. The school consists of four classrooms and gives 225 children in Kemba access to a primary school education. The Belta Telo Middle School had 780 kids sharing four small classrooms; however, thanks to a donation from the Zetterberg Foundation, a block of four new classrooms  were added on to create more room for students to learn. They also support microloan programs in Ethiopia and Guatemala to provide women with the opportunity to start their own business and work themselves out of poverty. To date, over 500 women have benefited from these loans. In addition, the Zetterberg Foundation has financed and built six houses for former debt slaves in Nepal.