Tuch voted as winner of 2024-25 Rick Martin Memorial Award

Tammy Nicholson and her family were vacationing in Southern Ontario when they received an invitation from The Summit Center to visit KeyBank Center on Wednesday.

The purpose of the invite was enough to put the trip on pause. The Nicholson family, joined by representatives of The Summit Center, was on hand to present Buffalo Sabres alternate captain Alex Tuch with the 2024-25 Rick Martin Memorial Award.

“The Rico Award” is given annually to the Sabres player who best demonstrates “on-ice excellence, resiliency, and dedication to the community.” The award is determined entirely by a fan vote.

Watch the surprise presentation in the video below.

Tuch has won the award three straight years thanks in large part to his impact on charitable organizations such as The Summit Center, which provides programs to support children and adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Tammy and Steve Nicholson first met Tuch at his annual AT9 Foundation toy drive, which supported more than 60 families at The Summit Center this year. Their twin daughters, Emily and Harper, were enrolled together in preschool at The Summit Center. Emily has since moved on to district school, a testament to the organization’s impact.

“I have to say that what Alex did with the Summit Center and the kids for Christmas is remarkable,” Tammy Nicholson said. “I wanted to just let him know how grateful the families at the Summit Center are that he took his time out and organization.

“It’s hard as a family that has autism. We’re kind of left behind or put in the back of the room. He put us front and center and he showed these kids that it doesn’t matter the differences, that all kids are the same and should be celebrated.”

Tuch has prioritized community involvement since joining the Sabres in November of 2021. Injured at the time of the trade, he spent his first months with the organization touring Roswell Park, watching games with patients, and visiting the 11 Day Power Play.

Since then, Tuch has hosted his toy drive annually and hosted various charitable organizations to attend Sabres games and visit the locker room for postgame meet-and-greets. This year, he teamed up with Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin to introduce the “Captains’ Crew,” a learn-to-play program that ended with both players joining participating children for an on-ice session.

Tuch has been selected three straight years as Buffalo’s nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.”

“He really is the epitome of charitable service,” said Kara Lee, assistant director of marketing and communications at The Summit Center. “He’s everything that you would expect from a professional athlete who is giving back to the community and obviously he’s so beloved by the fans.”

Tuch has also embodied the spirit of The Rico Award on the ice, having carved out a reputation as a premier two-way forward and an all-situations player for the Sabres. He leads the NHL in shorthanded goals (6), ranks second among league forwards in takeaways (46), and leads Buffalo forwards in average ice time (19:19).

Tuch is the only NHL player with 35 goals and 100 blocked shots in a single season since the league started tracking the latter statistic in 2005-06. He’s one blocked shot of matching the single-season record for a forward (111).

“He’s involved in every aspect from power play to penalty killing,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He’s scored a lot of big goals and defended well for us. It’s a lot of what you want to see from a player.”

It stems in part from Tuch’s pride in playing for the Sabres – another quality he shares with Rick Martin, who remained an ambassador for the organization until his passing in 2011.

Tuch grew up a Sabres fan in Baldwinsville, New York, a suburb of Syracuse. It was there he learned the importance of community from his parents, Carl and Sharon.

“Ever since I was younger, my parents have instilled in me to help others that are less fortunate,” Tuch said. “I think of myself as the luckiest guy in the world, so each and every day if I can put a smile on one kid’s face or help out someone in need, that means my day’s accomplished.”