Dan Snyder Memorial Award
Awarded to the Jet who best embodies perseverance and dedication.
The Dan Snyder Memorial Award is given annually to a Winnipeg Jets player who, in the team’s words, “best embodies perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed.” Established in 2004 while the franchise was still the Atlanta Thrashers, it honors forward Dan Snyder, who died from injuries suffered in a car crash in September 2003. A comparable honor exists in the Ontario Hockey League, called the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy, and the Jets’ award is sometimes referred to by that same name.
After the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, becoming the Jets following the 2010–11 NHL season, some fans—both in Atlanta and in Snyder’s hometown—worried he would be forgotten. Scott Brown, Winnipeg’s director of hockey operations and communications, addressed those concerns, stating that “Craig (Heisinger) was in Atlanta and saw all the things they did for Dan Snyder and we are fully prepared and will be honouring everything to do with him. Dan Snyder’s friends and family should not worry at all about that.” On March 28, 2012, the Jets confirmed they would continue the award tradition, and the Snyder family was invited to take part in the first Winnipeg ceremony, held on the final game of the regular season. On April 7, 2012, defenseman Mark Stuart became the first Winnipeg Jet to receive the memorial award.
- Established
- 2004
- Original franchise location
- Atlanta
- Commemorates
- Dan Snyder, Atlanta Thrashers forward
- Cause of death
- injuries sustained in an automobile accident in September 2003
- First winner as winnipeg jets
- Mark Stuart, defenceman
- First ceremony in winnipeg date
- April 7, 2012
Lore & Background
The award was created in 2004, when the franchise was located in Atlanta, to commemorate Atlanta Thrashers forward Dan Snyder, who died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in September 2003. A similar award is awarded in the OHL and is known as the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy; sometimes the Jets' award is called the same name. With the Thrashers' relocation to Winnipeg, Manitoba to become the Winnipeg Jets following the 2010-11 NHL season, there was worry (by both Thrashers' fans and those living in Snyder's hometown) that Snyder would be forgotten. However, Scott Brown, Winnipeg's director of hockey operations/communications, quelled those fears, revealing that "Craig (Heisinger) was in Atlanta and saw all the things they did for Dan Snyder and we are fully prepared and will be honouring everything to do with him. Dan Snyder's friends and family should not worry at all about that." On March 28, 2012 it was announced that the Jets would continue the tradition of the award. The Snyder family was invited to participate in the first ceremony in Winnipeg on the final game of the regular season. On April 7, 2012, Winnipeg Jets' defenceman Mark Stuart became the first Winnipeg Jet to be given the memorial award.
Reader's Guide
The Dan Snyder Memorial Award holds significance as a link between the franchise's Atlanta past and its Winnipeg present. Created in 2004 to honor Dan Snyder, a Thrashers forward who died in a 2003 car accident, the award was continued after the team relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. The article notes that there was worry from Thrashers fans and Snyder's hometown that he would be forgotten, but the Jets' director of hockey operations/communications, Scott Brown, assured that the team would honor everything to do with Snyder. The award's legacy is defined by its criteria: it goes to the player who best embodies perseverance, dedication, and hard work without reward or recognition for the success of the team and teammates. The first Winnipeg recipient was defenceman Mark Stuart on April 7, 2012, with the Snyder family invited to the ceremony. The award is sometimes called the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy, the same name as a similar OHL award, reflecting a broader memorial tradition.
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