Surprise! NHL, with the help of kids, gives Barkov the Selke and King Clancy awards

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida's Aleksander Barkov thought the team meeting was over. He found it odd that the Panthers hadn't been told they could leave.

Turns out, there was a good reason — two of them, actually.

The Panthers hadn't had an opportunity to spend any time at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital — a facility Barkov works with and raises money for — during their playoff run, so the team decided to bring some of the patients into the team facility for a visit instead. And the kids came bearing gifts for Barkov.

''I thought maybe some picture, some art that they had drawn for me,'' Barkov said.

He hopped over the back row of seats in the Panthers' theater-style meeting room and went down to meet the kids. And imagine his surprise when the ''gifts'' were brought in — first the King Clancy Trophy that gets awarded to the player that combines leadership on and off the ice with humanitarian work, then the Selke Trophy that gets presented to the NHL's best defensive forward.

The awards were technically awarded to Barkov last week; they were announced by the NHL on Monday. It's the third Selke for Barkov, and the first King Clancy.

''It was amazing,'' Barkov told The Associated Press. ''I got a little emotional there. I didn't really have words to say. That was very nicely done, and I was really thankful for everyone who was part of it.''

The NHL is announcing the winners of top individual awards a little differently this year, adding surprise elements with only a handful of people knowing what is happening ahead of time. The NHL and TNT had cameras and microphones inside the team meeting room for the Barkov announcement, which might have been a sign that something unusual was happening that day.

And the Barkov surprises were sold perfectly, too.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice was standing in his customary spot in the front of the room, purportedly waiting for another speaker and wondering if they were locked out. He opened the door on the room's right side so hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito could walk in, and Zito went right into character.

Zito introduced one of the young patients, under the guise of presenting Barkov with ''a little thank-you gift.'' The boy spoke for a few seconds, finishing with ''bring in the gift,'' and that's when someone from the NHL carried the Clancy into the room.

''Thank you, guys,'' Barkov said, holding the Clancy while addressing the handful of kids and their family members who were invited to be part of the surprise. ''Obviously, I was not expecting this. Not really too many words to say right now, but it means a lot and obviously, you guys — well, I'm a little emotional here — but I love how you guys showed up here.''

If that wasn't enough, then the theater's other door opened: more kids came in, and the Selke was wheeled in with them as well.

''Another speech?" Barkov asked, still holding the Clancy as his teammates remained standing and applauded again. ''Thanks a lot, again. Couldn't have been done without you guys. Love you guys, and we still have a job to do.''

That job is winning another Stanley Cup, a quest that resumes Wednesday when the Panthers face the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the title series. It's a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final, won by Florida in seven games.

The kids at Joe DiMaggio will be watching, and Barkov considers that a privilege.

''I'm really happy to be able to help them in some way,'' Barkov said.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl