The Pros Are Ready

I've been promoting the work of the local committee in Winnipeg in their efforts to drum up support for the first-annual Hockey Help The Homeless tournament in the Manitoba capital via social media and on the radio during The Hockey Show. These amazing people are working tirelessly to raise funds to help three important resources in Winnipeg as the proceeds of the tournament will go to Willow Place, Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY), and Red Road Lodge as they work to improve programming and expand current spaces to help more people in Winnipeg. It seems there are twelve pro hockey players who are ready to lend a hand in helping these amazing places who help so many people.

Just as an aside, Willow Place, Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY), and Red Road Lodge are three amazing place that help women, teens, children, and the Indigenous populations get off the streets and into safe spaces, and they can always use your help any time of the year. If you can help them with donations of time by volunteering, donations of money to assist their causes, or donations of resources or items that they need, you're helping Winnipeg defeat homelessness with these donations, and that's makes you amazing as well.

If we're talking amazing, we can't forget the amazing professional hockey players who lend their time in making each of the sixteen tournaments across Canada into something special. Players such as Wendel Clark, Shayne Corson, and Natalie Spooner have all played in the HHTH tournaments in Canadian cities, and Winnipeg will feature its own set of amazing professionals who will pay alongside the teams of players who have fundraised enough cash donations to play in the game.

So who are these pros who will suit up in Winnipeg? I'm glad you asked! Here is the list of the twelve players who will lead their respective amateur teams into the tournament:

• Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Philadephia Flyers, and Los Angeles Kings defenceman Dave Babych (1195 games - 723 points).
• St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers forward Wayne Babych (519 games - 438 points).
• Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, and Ottawa Senators forward Laurie Boschman (1009 games - 577 points).
• San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Frazer McLaren (102 games - 11 NHL points).
• Winnipeg Jets captain Thomas Steen (950 games - 817 points).
• Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Trevor Kidd who will skate as a player (387 games - 2.84 GAA).
• Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings forward and Winnipeg Jets captain Morris Lukowich (582 games - 418 points).
• Winnipeg Jets and Philadelphia Flyers forward Russ Romaniuk (102 games - 27 points).
• Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, and Winnipeg Jets defenceman Mark Stuart (673 games - 93 points).
• Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Winnipeg Jets forward who scored the first goal in Jets 2.0 history Nikolai Antropov (788 games - 465 points).
• Edmonton Oilers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens forward Georges Laraque (695 games - 153 points).
• Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes, and Montreal Canadiens forward and 2016 NHL All-Star Game MVP John Scott (286 games - 11 points).

There's a lot of talent that's headed to Winnipeg for December 5 and 6 as these twelve players combined have 7288 games of NHL action under their belts, have scored 3733 points in The Show, have an All-Star Game MVP award, and have represented 24 NHL teams throughout their illustrious careers that includes all eight Canadian NHL cities that have existed. The stories these men have from these teams and their times on the road, plus stories from European leagues, the WHA, the CHL, and the NCAA, will surely entertain their amateur teammates, but it will also reflect on just how impressive it is to get twelve amazing pros with nearly 7300 games of NHL action together for this tournament.

Here's where you come in because I'm sure a number of you reading this article are thinking, "How can I meet some of these players?" And I have the answer to that question.

You or your company needs to be a sponsor of the HHTH Winnipeg tournament to participate in the meet-and-greet with the twelve pros on the HHTH Draft Night in Winnipeg. With a sponsorship or by volunteering, you'll see some special opportunities, and this is one of those opportunities where you can meet your hockey heroes, get their autographs, have a conversation with them, and grab a photo with the guys you watched on TV and cheered for from the stands. There are still a number of great sponsorship opportunities, but, as with any charitable donation, no amount will be turned away and the HHTH team will work with you or your company to find an sponsorship opportunity for the dollar amount you wish to contribute. If you wish to volunteer, we will never turn you away because volunteers are the lifeblood of this tournament.

I cannot stress this enough: all your contributions are helping Willow Place, Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY), and Red Road Lodge provide shelter, safety, warmth, food, and opportunities for Winnipeg's homeless men, women, and children to get back on their feet and get out of the elements this winter and moving forward. With administrative costs being kept to a shoestring budget, the money headed towards these three amazing places will be considerable, and that's the entire point of this tournament - helping great resources help more people get off the streets.

The pros are ready for the first-annual Hockey Helps The Homeless tournament in Winnipeg. We'd love to have you be part of the festivities, but that requires a commitment from you. You know what you have to do.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!