From the ice to the diamond, those who lace up the skates for a living are on the baseball field in Kelowna to take a swing at supporting mental health.
Elk91裸聊视频檚 Stadium played host Friday, June 23, to the annual Homebase Charity Slo-Pitch Tournament, marked by the participation of both current and retired NHLers.
Carey Price, Shea Weber and Duncan Keith were just of few of the stars who made their presence felt on the diamond, with the charity game itself named after retired NHL defenceman Josh Gorges and Dallas Stars forward Blake Comeau.
91裸聊视频淭he purpose we do this is yes, to raise money, but also to raise that awareness for mental health,91裸聊视频� Gorges said.
Close to 1,200 people, including Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas, were in attendance for the game, which was played to raise money for the KGH Foundation91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频楥loser To Home Than You Think91裸聊视频� campaign.
Friday marked the third annual edition of the event.
Gorges and Comeau, a pair of former Memorial Cup champions with the Kelowna Rockets, have co-captained the slo-pitch game since its inception before the pandemic.
They say playing on the diamond in the name of raising funds for mental health initiatives is one thing, but starting a conversation is another.
91裸聊视频淔or me, the big thing is letting people know that they don91裸聊视频檛 have to suffer alone,91裸聊视频� Comeau said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 OK to speak about it, and it91裸聊视频檚 definitely OK to get to help, so I think it91裸聊视频檚 an important conversation and I think the more we talk about it and raise awareness then hopefully we can spread that out outside of this community as well.91裸聊视频�
The two former Rockets were joined on the field by two full rosters of nine players. Other NHLers who threw their names in the hat included Canadian gold medal-winning defenceman Brent Seabrook and the Vancouver Canucks91裸聊视频� Tyler Myers.
Georges, who went on to play parts of 12 seasons in the NHL, says he isn91裸聊视频檛 surprised so many of his fellow pro-hockey stars decided to take a swing at supporting the cause.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 what I find is the great thing about hockey91裸聊视频he community that it has, we would do anything for each other and we91裸聊视频檙e our own little family, too,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檒l always be there to support and if any one of them had something that they were doing, we would be there to support them.91裸聊视频�
More than $240,000 was raised for KGH Foundation91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频楥loser to Home than you think91裸聊视频� campaign in 2022.
With a sold-out crowd at Elk91裸聊视频檚 Stadium on Friday watching the NHLers round the bases in support of the cause, event organizers say they expect record numbers, once tallied.
An on-field autograph session proceeded first pitch, with hundreds of fans seen sporting their favourite NHL merchandise while meeting the hockey stars in baseball uniforms.
The game itself featured a home run from Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith, and some defensive gems from former Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Cam Barker.
READ MORE: Star-studded rosters filled with NHL players announced for Homebase in Kelowna
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com
