Former NHLers, amateurs hitting ice to help homeless
Beer leaguers lace up with pros to raise money for Jasper Place, Mustard Seed
Hockey Helps The Homeless is a charity event that definitely strikes a strong chord with Ron Low’s wife Linda.
“When she was very young, her parents had a fire in their apartment and lost everything and were basically homeless,” said the former Edmonton Oilers goalie and head coach.
“They were lucky and got a place to live, but it’s something Linda’s thought about her whole life.”
So the Lows are all in as co-chairs for the cross-Canada fantasy tournament that pits beer leaguers and former pro hockey players that goes Friday at Terwillegar Recreation Centre.
There are many charity hockey events, including one to raise money for Alzheimer’s which was just held here late last month, but Hockey Helps The Homeless hits at the core of a problem in every city in the country. The proceeds go to the Jasper Place Wellness Centre and the Mustard Seed, which merged with the Mosaic and Neighbour Centres.
“Hockey Helps The Homeless is maybe not as sexy as the others … we’ve done work with the Stollery (children’s hospital) and STARS (emergency air ambulance) before as honorary chairs,” said Ron Low, “but (former mayor) Stephen Mandel, a good friend, got us involved in the homeless when he said they’d like none of this in 10 years. That seemed a gigantic endeavour, but we’ve championed the idea.
“Being homeless is very scary and there are a lot of ways to be homeless.”
Even the very rich can wind up homeless, such as former NHL slugger and second-round draft pick Matt Johnson, who is mentally ill and reportedly living on the streets in southern California.
Doug Hicks, one of the former NHLers who will be playing in the event, says it was a no-brainer to take part in Hockey Helps The Homeless.
“Being a pro athlete for 15 years and living a pretty good life, you certainly feel for people who through mental issues or simply terrible luck have found themselves homeless,” said the former Oilers defenceman.
“You feel it a necessity, in a small way, to help turn their lives in a positive direction.”
Homeless people don’t start out that way, pushing shopping carts with their belongings or sleeping in the river valley, faceless people in a big city.
They need help getting off the streets and Hockey Helps The Homeless is a start.
The one-day event (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) for 19 teams has brought out a score of former NHLers.
“Dean McAmmond, who looks like he could still play, is coming from B.C.,” Low said. “Kelly Buchberger, Mark Lamb, Chris Joseph is playing after all the stuff he’s gone through (his son Jaxon died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash). We’ve got lots of guys and got them to come for fun.”
Some other former NHLers who have signed on: Georges Laraque, Glenn Anderson, Dave Manson, Mark Napier, Rob Brown, Robyn Regehr, Dave Lumley, Craig MacTavish, Mark Fistric, Fernando Pisani, Curtis Glencross, Matt Kassian, Jason Strudwick, Colin Fraser, Jeff Deslauriers, Joaquin Gage and Jim Ennis. Former Olympic medal-winning figure skater David Pelletier, the Oilers skating coach, is also playing.
For the first time, they ’re having a pro draft the night before.
“The number one fundraising team gets to pick the player they want first,” said Low. “It goes through for the first 16 players selected, then we’ll place the remaining players on teams.”
There are tournaments in Barrie, Ont., London, Ont., Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and Edmonton.
“What I know is 100 per cent of the net proceeds from the tournaments stay in the city where they ’re held,” said Low.
“We’ve gone over $400,000 and this year we expect to be well over $500,000 since 2013.”