Hockey Helps the Homeless takes place in 17 Canadian cities.
On Friday, Dartmouth hosted the Maritime edition of the event, which is now in its fourth year and growing at a record pace.
“We had 12 teams and grew it to 16, 18, and then 20 teams this year, which is the biggest in Canada for Hockey Helps the Homeless,” said Don Murray, chair of the event. “We are hoping to grant to our beneficiaries more than we did last year.”
Hundreds of players spent the day playing hockey to raise money for two community charities: Adsum House for Women and Children and VETS Canada.
“Last year they gave us $70,000,” said Kathy McNab, communications officer with Adsum. “We offer shelter and long-term, permanent housing for women, gender-diverse folks, and their families.”
“I would guesstimate that of the homeless people in Canada, probably close to five per cent are veterans,” said VETS Canada CEO and co-founder Debbie Lowther. “So it’s a big issue.”
Ex-NHLers such as Brad May, Al Iafrate, and Keith Acton, are some of the big names playing at the event along with local players.
“It’s a privilege for us to come and get a little bit of our hockey fix and contribute to the charity,” said Acton, who played for AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs from 1978 to 1980. “The people here treated us tremendously. I had a wonderful two years here and I love coming back.”
“We were hoping to raise $250,000 and we already passed that,” said Murray.
