Kincardine's Davidson Centre will play host to a charity hockey event to help end youth homelessness.
The Push For Change Hockey Challenge is inspired by former street youth Joe Roberts, who is currently pushing a shopping cart 9,000 km across Canada to raise money for the cause. Roberts, who was able to get on his feet after a now retired OPP officer helped him out years ago, wanted to give back to the cause to help end youth homelessness.
He is currently over 4,000 km through his journey with his shopping cart, which he began pushing on May 1, 2016.
The Kincardine game, one of 30 events in the Hockey Challenge, will be a three period round robin between South-Bruce OPP, Kincardine Fire Department, and KDSS staff and students.
Detective Constable Dave Hackney says combining a love of hockey with a great cause is always special.
"I think myself and many of the officers and firefighters, teachers and students in the community are big supporters of charity and helping each other out," he says. "To combine that with hockey, it's such a huge sport in our area, it's kind of a win-win."
Hackney says having former NHLers Greg De Vries, Boyd Devereaux, and Mark Bell is really special. De Vries will captain the OPP team, Deveraux will captain the Fire team, and Bell will lead the KDSS staff and students.
"It's nice that we can bring awareness in our own community to this event, and it's just tremendous that three former NHLers would take the time and the effort to come out and support this in our community," he says.
The game, featuring 3 periods of round robin play between the three teams, is from 1pm-3pm on Saturday, February 18, which is Hockey Day in Canada, and the 30 different Push For Change Hockey Challenge Events across Ontario will be featured on Sportsnet.
Tickets are $5, and are available at Kincardine Fire Department and the OPP detachment as well. Some tickets may be available at the door, depending on if they sell-out prior to the event. 50% of the funds will go to Push For Change and the Raise The Roof project, and 50% will go to the Grey-Bruce YMCA Housing Services.