Neuqua Valley hockey paints the rink pink, even though the puck has just dropped for hockey season in Naperville, the Neuqua Valley Wildcats made it a “goal” to start off by giving back. There was pink at the rink as the team’s coaches and fans shone a light on Breast Cancer Awareness Month during a recent faceoff against Hinsdale Central at Canlan Ice. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
Neuqua Valley hockey paints the rink pink for a fundraiser
“It’s October, so it’s kind of a special event we get to raise awareness for breast cancer. Something that was really cool was that we got our school involved, so we had school leadership start advertising our game to raise awareness. Throughout the week, we started advertising our t-shirts that we started selling… It’s really special because it combines two things I love, playing hockey and then helping people,” said Neuqua Valley hockey team captain Riley Sulkin.
Though the game was a loss for Neuqua Valley hockey, painting the rink pink was a success. Post-game, the Wildcats stayed on the ice, not for extra practice, but to support the “Pinktober” cause with an open skate fundraiser.
Participants could purchase pink t-shirts, with Canlan Ice supplying free rental skates and ice time for the event. Guests got to join Neuqua’s team on the ice, with Willie the Wildcat even going pink for the cause.
Proceeds were donated to the Waterford Place Cancer Resource Center and Surviving Breast Cancer. The cause is a personal one for some of the players.
Coming together as a team, with support from the community
“We have a couple of moms on the team that had cancer, so it means a lot to them,” said Jeff Salzbrunn, the head varsity coach of Neuqua Valley hockey.
But the whole team benefited from the life lesson of giving back.
“Hockey is a small part of what we do. The whole thing is about the whole generalization of being a good kid, a young man, and bringing that in. The awareness of what is out there that these guys haven’t even seen yet. So our job is a little bit more than just being a coach.” Said Salzbrunn
“It instills just a lot of great character and understanding. When we can encourage the boys to participate in events like this, you know there’s a lot more to life than just hockey. So, especially when they’ve got guys that are in the room with family members with guys that are fighting breast cancer, it’s just a great cause”, Gunner Lyslo, a member of the Neuqua Hockey Board of Directors.
Giving an assist that extends far beyond the ice.
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