Nick Foligno Wins 2017 Mark Messier Trophy for NHL Leadership

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno won the Mark Messier Leadership Award on Tuesday over Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf and Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano.

"Nick looks at leadership as that he represents himself, his family, and our hockey club," president of hockey operations John Davidson said in a statement. "In doing so, he proves there's a good person there. That's important. You go through life once, and at the end of it you look back and say 'Did I make a difference? Could I have done more?' I think he's doing his part."

According to NHL.com, the award is given yearly to the player who "exemplifies great leadership qualities to the team, on and off the ice, during the regular season."

Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier makes the final decision on who wins the award, and he bestowed it upon Foligno.

Foligno became the first Blue Jackets player to ever win the award.

The 29-year-old veteran has been Columbus' captain since 2015 and is coming off one of his best NHL seasons.

Foligno dropped off in 2015-16 after a career year the season before, but he bounced back in 2016-17 to the tune of 26 goals and 25 assists for 51 points.

He also helped lead Columbus to the playoffs after being one of the NHL's worst teams in 2015-16.

In addition to his on-ice success, Foligno made $500,000 donations to both Children's Hospital in Boston and Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, per NHL.com.

Foligno is a former All-Star who spent the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Ottawa Senators before joining the Blue Jackets for the past five seasons.

In 10 NHL campaigns, Foligno has appeared in 696 regular-season games, registering 154 goals and 213 assists for 367 points.