Toews, Getzlaf and Brown named Mark Messier Award Award finalists

Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Brown were named as the three finalists for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, which goes to “the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season,’ according to NHL.SI.com. The finalists and the winner are chosen from the award’s namesake who was one of the great captains in NHL history.

Toews has been the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks for the past six seasons and was the runner-up for this award last season. Turning 26 today, Toews has already guided the Blackhawks to two Stanley Cups and has Chicago chasing another Cup after eliminating the St. Louis Blues in the first round. Toews also does work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and has been a frequent contributor to assorted children’s charities.

Getzlaf enjoyed a career-year on the ice with 31 goals and 87 points which was good for second in the NHL as the Anaheim Ducks had their best record in franchise history and are in the second round of the playoffs after knocking out the Dallas Stars. Getzlaf is a finalist for the first time in his career, the last four as the captain of the Ducks. His work with The Getzlaf Golf Shootout raised more than $300,000 this year for CureDuchenne to raise awareness and funds for the muscle-wasting disease.

Brown has been a finalist the last two seasons as the Los Angeles Kings captain is one game away from joining Toews and Getzlaf in the second round and has been a big contributor to children’s hospital’s and charities throughout his career. Brown donates $50 for every hit that was donated to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit. Further, he and his wife teamed up to raise $70,000 and build a new playground in Carson, Calif.