NY Islanders captain Anders Lee earns money for charity as King Clancy finalist

New York Islanders captain Anders Lee didn't leave Nashvile with the King Clancy Trophy, but as a finalist he earned $5,000 for his charity. Mikael Backlund of the Calgary Flames won the award while Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers was the other finalist.

Per NHL PR, Backlund is the fourth member of the Flames organization to receive the King Clancy Trophy, joining Lanny McDonald (1987-88), Joe Nieuwendyk (1994-95) & Jarome Iginla (2003-04). Calgary is the only franchise with four different Clancy recipients. Former Isles captain and head coach Doug Weight (2011) and Hall-of-Famer Bryan Trottier (1989) are the two prior winners of the award for the franchise.

The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is given to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy contribution in his community." Lee, who has been the Islanders captain since 2018, has been raising money for families impacted by cancer through Jam Kancer in the Kan since 2016.

Lee's relationship with Fenov Pierre-Louis, a teenager battling Stage 4 Neuroblastoma inspired Lee and has continued to inspire him after Fenov's passing in 2018 at just 17 years old.

Jam Kancer in the Kan is  a foundation that is "committed to raising funds for families affected by a “kancer” diagnosis by bringing groups of people together to participate in “Kancer Jam” fundraising events." Their first event raised $14,296 and have raised $1,800,000 across 35 events to date, plenty of which Lee has been involved with.

On an annual basis, Lee and the foundation awards "Fenov Scholarships" to graduating high school seniors continuing on to college who have "provided help and sympathy" to someone with "kancer."