(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 
With this season's NHL Award nominees being rolled out on a day-by-day basis, one Flyer has learned that he could be a winner.
Wayne Simmonds has been announced as one of the nominees for the NHL Foundation Player Award — directly rewarding players who make significant contributions off the ice. Simmonds was named as one of two nominees, along with fellow Metro Division competitor Travis Hamonic of the New York Islanders.
Applying the core values of hockey to enrich the lives of people in his community.
Your NHL Foundation Player Award finalists. #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/F4BD7YEq4V
— NHL (@NHL) April 25, 2017
The NHL Foundation Player Award is given to a player "who applies the core values of (ice) hockey–commitment, perseverance and teamwork–to enrich the lives of people in his community," as per NHL.com. Previous winners of the award include Calgary captain Mark Giordano, San Jose's Brent Burns and Boston's Patrice Bergeron.
As someone who is never quick to shy away from helping the community at large, Simmonds is an obvious choice for nomination. Not only is he an active participant with the local Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, but he leads Wayne's Road Hockey Warriors as well, benefiting youth with an interest in playing hockey that may not have the means to afford it.
Wayne's Road Hockey Warriors is highlighted by a ball hockey tournament every summer featuring Simmonds and other NHL stars, held in his hometown of Scarborough, Ontario. This year's tournament will be held from July 7-9, in conjunction with The Boys and Girls Club of Canada.
Should Simmonds win, he'll receive a $25,000 grant to help his charities. As the winner of this year's Toyota Cup for garnering the most three-star selections, he also received a $5,000 grant from local Toyota dealerships.
The NHL Awards will take place on June 20, in the home of the league's newest market, Las Vegas. Simmonds is the only Flyer to be nominated as of this time.
