Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki can update his list of achievements on his resume as he was presented with the Sakura Award by the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center in Toronto on Saturday.
The London-born athlete accepted his award at a gala that recognized the awardees’ contribution to promoting Japanese culture in Canada and abroad. In addition to the ice hockey player, Bill Hatanaka (Canadian Football League) and Vicky Sunohara (women’s hockey) won the award this year. This will reward those “who have broken down barriers and created an immense sense of pride in the community,” said the organization’s general manager, James Heron, as reported by the Habs website.
“[Nick] is already an example for the new generation of young Canadians [d’origine] Japan and will no doubt inspire a new generation of Canadian athletes,” he continued.
Suzuki’s great-grandparents are from Japan and Number 14 is the fifth generation of his family to live on Canadian soil.