Moore’s Smashfest charity event picks up momentum
TORONTO —Dominic Moore has come a long way in a short period of time.
Two years ago he stepped away from hockey to be with his wife, Katie, who was battling arare formof liver cancer that claimed her life in January 2013 at the age of 32. Moore returned to the ice last fall with the New York Rangers and played a role in their run to the Stanley Cup final.
“Coming back after taking so much time off was very tough,” Moore said in a recent interview. “The beginning of the season was a struggle to say the least just getting back up to speed.”
After re-signing with the Rangers on a $3-million-US, two-year deal, the Toronto native is settling back into the career he left abruptly during the 2012 playoffs.
With the hockey season over, Moore’s focus shifts to his charity work, which has received increased attention thanks to the Rangers’ run and his return to the sport that earned him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The third incarnation of his annual ping-pong charity event, Smashfest, takes place Thursday.
Like Moore’s career, Smashfest has been getting more and more exposure.
“Definitely the last few months with the playoffs and stuff like that probably drew a lot of attention to the (Katie Moore) Foundation,” Moore said in a phone interview.
Last year’s event raised over $100,000 for research into rare cancers with the Katie Moore Foundation and concussions with the Steve Moore Foundation.
Smashfest actually began as a way to fund concussion research after Steve Moore, Dominic’s brother, had his career ended in 2004 when he was attacked by Todd Bertuzzi.