Hockey Gives Back

One of the things that is great about the NHL is the amount of charity work that the organization as a whole and various clubs chose to do. Not that other leagues do not also participate in charity drives, but hockey has been doing a lot of good things in this aspect in recent years.

The NHL even has their own green initiative which that are starting to get recognized for since they have been picked as the Best Sport for The Environment by Beyond Sport. Some of the league wide foundations that have started through the green initiative are the Food Recovery Program, Gallons for Goals, and Recycle the Game. In a world where most people are realizing that there needs to be something done about our environmental impact, and the fact that sustainability is becoming more of a hot topic, it is commemorable that the NHL is taking these steps to help out. This is one of the ways that the league might surprise non-hockey fans. For not only does the league bring entertainment to thousands of fans in the US and Canada but they are also doing things that will have an affect on a global spectrum.

Having a green league is not the only thing that the league does. All of the teams in the league have their own charity fund in which they give to annual or fundraise through different events to get fans involved. Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers was even donating money to charity during the All-Star Game through his “Hartnell Down” Charity which is a pretty cool thing to do. Which for the record he now is donating $4,000 for falling 4 times on the ice. The all star game proved to be a key place where the NHL charities were funded, since The Sharks’ Couture was picked last in the draft the nhl will donate $20,000 in the player’s name to a charity of his choice. The NHL also does the league wide charities such as “Beard-a-thon” and “Hockey Fights Cancer.”

In recent news we are learning that the desire to give back to the community does not stop for the league or players after they are finishing playing. Retired Hall of Famer Gordie Howe is now raising funds to support research for dementia, specifically Pick’s disease which is a form of this debilitating condition. The Howe family has been involved in this specific cause due to how personal and close to home the disease is to them. Gordie’s wife Colleen suffered from this specific form of the disease which lead to her death in 2009. Gordie himself is not in great health, and his son Marty has stated that right now he is doing okay but his health condition has the possibility to turn into dementia. This fund for research will actually be useful to the league as a whole because it might help for us to understand more about life after concussions so that the league can better protect players from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other head injuries that could be fatal later in life.

Hockey is a leader in giving back to the community, which should influence fans alike to also do their part. The national sport is not just about fights and goals scored, they are aware of their influence in their communities and make sure to recognize this by the amount of time and money that the NHL gives back.