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Battle of the Badges charity hockey game this Friday

“The Chevy Good Deeds Cup philosophy behind it, it teaches the players giving back and supporting the community skills that they can carry throughout their whole lives.”

CANMORE – A charity hockey game will take place this Friday (Dec. 13) to raise awareness and funds for Project All In, a foundation designed to start a conversation about mental wellness between first responders.

The puck drops for Battle of the Badges at the Canmore Rec Centre at 5 p.m. with RCMP members from Canmore to Calgary taking on local EMS/firefighters. The game will feature former NHLers Curtis Glencross and Jeremy Reich, and Team Canada sledge hockey player Chris Cedarstrand is the honourary general manager for each team.

Entrance into the game is by donation.

The charity event is a player-driven initiative by the Bow Valley Timberwolves AA, a peewee hockey team, as apart of Chevrolet’s Good Deeds Cup, a partnership between Hockey Canada and Chevrolet that encourages youth teams to spread positivity within its communities.

The 11-12 aged players are organizing and running the event, including being the coaches, refs, running the 50/50 draw and accepting donations, among others.

“I’m extremely proud of our players to come up with a great idea,” said Kyle McLaughlin, Timberwolves head coach. “The Chevy Good Deeds Cup philosophy behind it, it teaches the players giving back and supporting the community skills that they can carry throughout their whole lives.”

All proceeds will be going to Project All In, created in 2018 by firefighters Chad Guenter of Canmore and Gregg Schaalje of Foothills County, which uses a coin as a way for first responders battling PTSD and depression, among others, to know mental illness isn’t fought alone. One side of the coin is used to ask for help and the other helps to debrief calls.

“There are 13 players on our team that have connections to first responders and they thought let’s do Project All In,” said McLaughlin. “One parent was instrumental; Sarah Horne took the ideas of the kids and brought it to the next level. She put in countless hours to put this together and help organize.”

McLaughlin added that as an emergency room physician, the charity is “important to me” and he’ll be on the ice with the EMS/firefighter team.

Up for grabs is the First Responders Cup and the peewee team hopes the game becomes an annual charity.

As part of the Chevrolet Good Deeds initiative, the Timberwolves are participating in a friendly competition for peewee teams across Canada to film and submit a one-minute video showcasing their good deed.

The winning team receives a $100,000 donation to a charity of its choice.

“I love it, I cant wait and they’re so excited,” McLaughlin said.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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