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Calgary Flames captain in great company being nominated for sports humanitarian award

The Calgary Flames and their fans understand the type of leadership that Mark Giordano provides their National Hockey League team on the ice.

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The Calgary Flames and their fans understand the type of leadership that Mark Giordano provides their National Hockey League team on the ice.

But off the ice, the captain’s tireless devotion to the community is almost equally impressive.

And, again, his contributions are being recognized.

Giordano is up for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award presented by ESPN and sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, which recognizes professional athletes across North America including the NHL, NFL, MLB, PGA Tour, MLS, NBA, USOC, USTA, WNBA and WWE, for their positive impact on society.

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The 33-year-old blueliner is among impressive company, nominated alongside PGA Tour golfer Ernie Els, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson.

“First off, the name of the award, the name associated with it, he’s the most recognizable athlete in the history of sports,” Giordano said Wednesday following the afternoon announcement. “All the other nominees are guys I’ve looked up to in sports.”

The award will be announced at L.A. Live’s The Novo on July 11 while the highlights of the evening will be showcased during a one-hour program on ESPN July 25. The winner will be able to donate a $100,000 grant from ESPN to their qualified charity related to the award-winning humanitarian efforts. The finalists will each get a $25,000 grant to donate to their specified organizations.

“At the end of the day, you don’t get involved in charity work to be recognized and win awards,” Giordano said. “But it’s pretty cool when you can say you’ve put work and time into a foundation and it’s worked out and really made an impact on someone.”

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Giordano and his wife Lauren have made an impact on many.

His “5 for 5” initiative provided the funding to build five homes with Habitat for Humanity in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, the Philippines and the Calgary area. In collaboration with the Calgary Board of Education, Giordano and his wife created Team Giordano in 2014.

Funded by the Giordanos, the Calgary Italian Open and the Flames Foundation, and in partnership with Pizza 73, ATB Financial and Cardel Homes, the program has donated $300,000 to four high-needs Calgary schools and has benefitted 1,900 students.

The program provides resources, computers, supplies and their own “Gio Journals” to track students’ progress. It also promotes physical fitness, academics, and positive behaviours that lead to success in life.

Giordano also stands behind causes such as the You Can Play program, which seeks to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation in sport and mental health awareness.

“As I’ve gotten older and played in the league longer and been around … I just feel like it’s important,” Giordano said. “Being the captain of our team and as athletes, we should feel a responsibility to give back. We’re in a good position to do so … Having a son of my own now, and seeing him grow, I want to set a good example for him. I just feel like when I was a young guy, I didn’t understand it as much as I do now.

“We’re in the public eye, and we have a platform where we can use it to make a difference.”

E-mail: kodland@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @Kristen_Odland

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