According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a humanitarian is a person who seeks to promote human welfare.
Through his actions on the ice as an unselfish defenceman and captain of the Prince George Cougars, and away from the rink for his willingness to promote literacy and wellness programs aimed at kids, Sam Ruopp epitomized those qualities.
As a result, Ruopp is the Western Hockey League's Western Conference finalist for the Doug Wickenheiser Award, along with Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Tyler Wong, the Eastern Conference nominee.
"It's a very humbling accomplishment, for sure, and something I never thought about," said Ruopp. "I love helping people. Throughout my whole life, people have helped me along the way. Whenever I'm talking to kids, talking to fans, or anyone along the way, if I can make any difference in any way I love doing that."
The WHL took notice of the 20-year-old Ruopp's involvement in team activities throughout his four-year junior career. Last season he helped the Cougars launch their literacy program in elementary schools. That continued this season when the Cats teamed up with Northern Health and the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation to create the Spirit of Healthy Kids school program to promote healthy living and education.
"That Spirit of the Kids program was probably my favourite of all - we went to lots of schools and talked to thousands of kids in their gym and they were really excited the Cougars were there," said Ruopp, the only three-season captain in Prince George Cougars' history. "We promoted a healthy living style, physical activity, proper hygiene, along with the importance of having a good education and being able to read and really focus on school.
"You could just see the kids' faces and the smiles they had, and it was an amazing feeling for me. I'm lucky to be in that position to do that, to be a role model and have these kids look up to me."
Ruopp was always quick to volunteer his time for hospital visits, backyard rink promotions, autograph sessions and photo opportunities and enjoyed interacting with fans.
The Wickenheiser award is named after the former Regina Pats superstar, who died of lung cancer in 1999. Wickenheiser was the first-overall draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 1980 and a cousin of former national women's team captain Hayley. Wickenheiser played for Montreal, the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals before he retired in 1994.
Ruopp, a fifth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015, spent the past week in Ohio on an amateur tryout with the Cleveland Monsters, the Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate. The Monsters ended their season on the weekend with a loss to the Manitoba Moose, which knocked them out of a playoff spot.
"It was a great experience - I didn't get a chance to play in any games just because we were battling for a playoff spot and it came down right to the wire," he said. "We needed a team (Charlotte Checkers) to lose and they got into overtime so the guys were pretty disappointed not to make playoffs. But just being able to see the older guys, the professionals, and how they work and how they handle themselves was an awesome experience."
Ruopp, who turns 21 on June 3, practiced with the Monsters' black aces and was watching from the pressbox in Cleveland when Moose centre Jansen Harkins, his Cougar teammate this season, assisted on the only goal of a 1-0 game, after scoring twice the previous night in a loss to the Monsters.
"He had a heckuva couple games and I got to talk to him after the game so I was very happy to see him have that success," said Ruopp.
Ruopp is hoping to sign a contract with the Blue Jackets before the free agency deadline, June 1. Until his hockey future is determined, he plans to spend time with family and friends while working on the family grain farm near Zehner, Sask.
The Cougars have also been nominated for the WHL's business/marketing award, to be presented at the league awards banquet May 3 in Calgary.
