The Newmarket Minor Hockey Association is banding together to help the fight against cancer with a fundraising event tonight, Nov. 1.
As Hockey Fights Cancer Month gets underway, the U18AA Renegades are holding a fundraising event during their game against the Upper York Admirals. The team will be holding a bake sale and a chuck-a-puck event to raise $2,000.
Coach Kevin Cordiner said it is a way to give back to the community and show solidarity with those dealing with the disease.
“A couple of our players are dealing directly with cancer and the significant impact it has on their lives,” Cordiner said. “We thought it was a great way to recognize and show support to those who are dealing with it directly, as well as their family and caregivers. We thought this was a great way to show them that they’re not alone, they have their friends and family they can rely on.”
The NHL and NHLPA annually have a Hockey Fights Cancer Campaign in November, dedicated to fundraising for the American Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Society. Over its 25 years, the campaign has raised more than $32 million.
Now, the NMHA is getting behind the effort. Cordiner said it is the first time the NMHA has done an event like this for the campaign that he is aware of.
“We want it to be more than just showing up to a game,” he said. “This is a way for us to stand together as a hockey community … It’s not just about their teammates in our room, but hockey as a community and culture.”
To fundraise, there will be a bake sale at the game. There will also be a pre-game chuck-a-puck event with a $10 minimum donation, with participants getting to throw a puck toward centre ice. Besides keeping the puck afterward, the person who gets a puck close to centre ice will win airpods.
The event will take place at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex at 8 p.m.
Cordiner said an event like this shows players that hockey is a close-knit group regardless of team.
“It also makes them understand we have a responsibility as people in our society to give back and support where we can,“ Cordiner said. “Our goal through this is to let those players and families know, even though they’re dealing with their own personal journey with cancer, they got a whole army of people around them that are here to support … We wanted to stand with them on this night and let them know that publicly, so they can feel the love and support coming from their hockey community.”
