Tom Wilson is getting some praise for just being Tom Wilson.
The towering Capitals forward has been named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine. Wilson is the third Capital to receive the honor, joining superstar goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin (2015) and team owner Ted Leonsis (2001).
Wilson’s honor will be featured in the January 2024 issue of Washingtonian magazine, set to be released on December 21.
According to a writeup by the Capitals on NHL.com, Wilson received the nod due to his “efforts to make the region a better place to live.”
“Like previous Washingtonians of the Year, this year’s honorees are doing incredible work to help those in our community—and to help the city itself—succeed,” Washingtonian editor Sherri Dalphonse said to the Capitals. “This annual article is a reminder that one person really can make a difference.”
2023 has been a busy year for Tom Wilson. He returned to the team in January 2023 after putting in grueling work to recover from major knee surgery. The 2018 Stanley Cup champion has since re-found his lost form and is consistently one of the Capitals’ best players every night. In August, Wilson chose to bypass free agency over the summer and sign a seven-year extension that will likely keep him in DC through the rest of his career.
“I’m not a guy that’s going to play hardball and say that I don’t want to be here,” Wilson said in his exit interview this spring. “Everyone knows I want to be here. No matter what happens, I want to help this city win games.
Off the ice, Wilson puts in a lot of work, too. He leads the charity Forty Three’s Friends, that provides tickets and a special postgame meet and greet to kids waiting for their wishes to be granted by Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. He is also a part of the charity, So Kids Can, with teammates Nicklas Backstrom and Martin Fehervary, as well as Elliot in the Morning’s Elliot Segal.
Over his 11-year career in Washington, Wilson has put down plenty of roots in the area. On his off days, he volunteers with his wife Taylor to help on-board rescue puppies and kittens as an ambassador with Wolf Trap Animal Rescue–the same place where the couple adopted their own dog, Halle.
Wilson’s connections extend to the local business community as well. He is an investor in BASH Boxing, a local company that utilizes the sport as a means to work out and have a healthy lifestyle and also put his weight into Bowl Kits, created by local restaurant chain South Block.
Congratulations, Tom. We are so very, very proud of you.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
