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Backlund and Giordano Flames nominees for NHL Foundation Player award and King Clancy Memorial trophy

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One of the Calgary Flames coaches had casually observed Mikael Backlund wrapping up his post-game meal in a take-out container and wondered.

“They said, ‘Oh, are you taking some home for your wife?’” Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He said, ‘No, I stop and drop it off to a homeless guy before I go home.’

“So, he’s thinking about that after games and makes a quick stop and gives a guy a meal and goes home. We didn’t know that until about 60 games (into the season).”

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The touching story and selfless act provides a small glimpse into Backlund’s character, which was, once gain, recognized on Thursday as he was nominated by the team for the NHL’s Foundation Player award.

The 28-year-old’s contributions to the Calgary community are impressive.

Backlund chipped in during the 2013 floods in the city, trying to orchestrate a fundraiser for flood relief before flying home to Sweden, only to lose his best friend to cancer. As a tribute, he raised $23,000 for children’s cancer research and now makes it an annual event.

He and his girlfriend, Frida Engstrom, support three local charities including Special Olympics Calgary, Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta, and the ALS Society of Alberta.

“Very impressive on the ice, for me, he’s probably the biggest surprise,” Gulutzan said. “A great guy in the locker room. A great professional. A great humanitarian.

“An excellent guy to have.”

Flames captain Mark Giordano’s character was also recognized on Thursday, as his Flames teammates nominated him for the King Clancy Memorial trophy for the third consecutive season.

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The award is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy contribution in his community.

Giordano and his wife, Lauren, launched Team Giordano in September 2014, raising $300,000 for four high-needs Calgary schools and impacting 1,900 students. In 2011, he launched a community program in partnership with Habitat for Humanity called “5-for-5”, which provided funding to build five homes in Calgary, Kenya, Ethiopia, India, and the Philippines.

Within the Flames organization, he’s received the J.R. McCaig award in 2012 and the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian award in 2016.

He’s also put his name behind other important community causes throughout his time with the Flames, marching in the Calgary Pride Parade, supporting the You Can Play Project – an advocacy program that challenges sports teams to stamp out discrimination based on sexual orientation – and the Hockey Talks campaign in support of mental health awareness. Giordano was the NHL’s 2016 recipient of the NHL’s Foundation Player award.

“He lives his life at a high level, on and off the ice,” said Gulutzan. “He’s a great role model for our kids.”

kodland@postmedia.com

Twitter/Kristen_Odland

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