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Brown, Toews, Alfredsson up for Messier Leadership Award

Daniel Alfredsson

Daniel Alfredsson #11 of the Ottawa Senators handles the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on May 14, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Senators 4-1. (May 13, 2013 - Source: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

A trio of team captains, Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews, and Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson have been announced by the NHL as the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award nominees.

The award is for “the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.”

After leading the Kings to the Stanley Cup last year, Brown has once again helped the Kings get deep into the playoffs with his mixture of skill and grit. He had 29 points and ranked eighth in the NHL with 156 hits in the regular season.

Since 2008-09, Brown has donated $50 to charity for every hit he delivers, which has benefited, among others, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He was also selected as the Kings’ Most Popular Player for the 2013 campaign.

Toews was the fourth-youngest captain in NHL history when he got started and he was just 22 when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Toews has developed into a point-per-game player, but he’s an equally effective player in all situations situations, as evidenced by his Selke Trophy nomination.

Toews aides the Make-A-Wish Foundation and last fall he also participated in the “Goals for Dreams Hockey Challenge” to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Dream Factory.

Alfredsson, more than any other player in the team’s 21-year history, represents the Ottawa Senators. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in games, goals, and assists, in addition to a variety of other categories. In what could be his last year before retirement, the 40-year-old forward is still a major contributor, as exemplified by his last minute, game-tying, shorthanded goal last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Off the ice, Alfredsson has supported the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa for the past 10 seasons. He also has helped raise awareness of youth mental-health issues through his support of Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health’s “Do It for Daron” campaign.