Jeff Casey discusses the upcoming hockey tournament to benefit the Cancer Research Collaboration Fund at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre, December 10, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.Jeff Casey discusses the upcoming hockey tournament to benefit the Cancer Research Collaboration Fund at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre, December 10, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Windsor

Former NHLers to skate in a tournament benefiting cancer research

A new hockey tournament featuring NHL alumni is the brainchild of a cancer survivor.

Ongoing initiatives into the cancer research taking place in Windsor-Essex will be helped by the Play For a Cure Pro-Am tournament, a two-day hockey event with all proceeds to benefit the Cancer Research Collaborative Fund, a new fund from the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation. The event is scheduled for March 28 and 29, 2019 at the Atlas Tube Centre in Lakeshore.

Plans for the event were unveiled during a media conference Monday at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre. It is a homecoming of sorts for Jeff Casey, the owner and publisher of Snapd Windsor, and someone who fought and beat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He said he approached Windsor Regional Hospital with the idea a few months ago and it has taken off.

"We've been working on this for about three months, kicking all this off. It's been a lot of fun though," said Casey. "We're into a process that's very big."

Casey said the organizing committee has already confirmed the participation of several retired NHL stars to participate in the tournament. They include former Windsor Spitfire and Toronto Maple Leaf Todd Warriner, former Spit Adam Graves, along with Marty McSorley, Marty Turco, Dennis Maruk, and former Detroit Red Wing John Ogrodnick.

Teams that want to play in the tournament will go into the community to collect pledges and raise funds, said Casey, then appear for the Draft Party on March 28. Teams will have a chance to "draft" an NHL player to play with them, and the more money each team raises, the more likely they will get a higher "draft pick".

The event continues with the tournament itself on March 29, where each team will play alongside the NHL alum who was drafted to their side. The top fundraising team will have a chance to play the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Team in the event finale on the night of the 29th.

Casey said thanks to the generosity of sponsors, they are already on their way to meeting their fundraising goals.

"Our goal is to raise $100,000, and we're well, well on our way," said Casey. "I would say that we're probably about 60 per cent there with our sponsorships and our fundraising initiatives."

For complete information on the tournament and the Cancer Research Collaborative Fund, visit their official website.

 

Former Windsor Spitfire and Toronto Maple Leaf Todd Warriner at the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre, December 10, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.

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