Support for Bold family ‘amazing’
Warriors, Canucks rally around NLL goalie and his wife Michelle, who is battling cancer again
We understand how lucky we are ... that many people in these situations don’t have this kind of support.”
Aaron Bold
STEVE EWEN
Vancouver Warriors goaltender Aaron Bold is thankful for the support he and his wife Michelle have received as she battles cancer again.
The Vancouver Canucks, who own the National Lacrosse League’s Warriors, held an internal fundraiser that brought in a “significant amount” to help Bold’s family pay bills, according to Warriors general manager Dan Richardson. Buffalo Bandits goalie Matt Vinc tweeted Sunday he’s donating his next per diem cheque and asked “Who’s comin’ with me?”
And Bold is auctioning off the pads he wore during the 2015 world indoor box lacrosse championship. They’re signed by the entire Canadian team, which won the gold medal. Warriors teammate Logan Schuss said he’ll throw in a game-used stick.
In a 2015 Province article, Bold talked about how Michelle, now 34, had beaten breast cancer in 2010, but it had come back again even then. He was quoted about how “the game has been a very positive outlet for me.
“To sum up the selflessness of the lacrosse community in one word: Amazing,” said Bold, a 33-year-old Victoria native who runs his own personal training business in Edmonton as a day job. “We are forever grateful for all that they’ve done and continue to do. We understand how lucky we are. We understand that many people in these situations don’t have this kind of support.”
Bold was presented with the cheque from that internal fundraiser in the Warriors dressing room before a recent game and Richardson said, “you could have heard a pin drop when we did that.
“It’s great to see a group of young men rally around a guy and his wife who are going through what Aaron and Michelle are going through,” Richardson said. “It’s been a really emotional ride.
“The Canucks have been great. Our players have been great.”
Bold, a two-time NLL champion during his time with the Saskatchewan Rush franchise, was Richardson’s key free-agent signing this off-season as Richardson looked to bring veteran poise on the defensive end to a Vancouver squad that finished 2-16 in 2018.
Bold is supposed to be one of their two or three best players. He hasn’t played in the last four games, including a 15-13 loss to the Rush Saturday at Rogers Arena that dropped the Warriors’ record to 3-7. He was on the bench as the backup.
The Warriors had kept Bold’s situation quiet. It was only made public in the last few days via fundraising projects. He was placed on the disabled list with an undisclosed injury for one game and didn’t dress.
With eight games left in its regular season, the team is still in the hunt for one of the four West Division playoff spots along with the Calgary Roughnecks (5-5), the Rush (4-4), the San Diego Seals (4-4) and the Colorado Mammoth (3-5).
Eric Penney, 25, has flourished in Bold’s place in the Vancouver cage. As of Sunday morning, he had the NLL’s top goals-against average (9.81) and third-best save percentage (.790).
Bold was 1-3 this season with Vancouver with a 13.32 GAA and .738 save percentage before it was determined he needed some time away from the starting role. For his career, he’s 81-50 with an 11.23 GAA and a .766 save percentage.
“Eric and I have had some discussions. He’s felt bad about getting his opportunity this way,” said Richardson. “I’ve tried to explain to him that all sorts of twists and turns come at you in life. You have a door that’s open, you need to use it. You need to seize that opportunity.
“Aaron has been more accommodating with Eric. He’s been a great teammate with Eric.”
Warriors director of lacrosse operations and communications Dave Sheldon wrote a story on the Warriors website about Bold’s mask in November and about how it includes a depiction of the North Star with “Mich” written underneath it. Bold said in the story that he sees the North Star as a beacon of hope.
The story included Michelle having cancer again.
“At first, I was going to do a silhouette of Michelle on the back, but it didn’t feel right,” Bold said in the story. “The North Star and Mich’s name reflect where I draw my strength from and the path that we are on together.”
For more information on Bold’s pads, check out canucksauction.com.