Wayne Simmonds, right winger for the Philidelphia Flyers, is coming back to Scarborough to host 2014 Wayne’s Road Warriors charity ball hockey tournament on Saturday, July 5.
Simmonds and 10 other professional hockey players will spend the day at the Scarborough Arena Gardens with 80 kids from ages eight to 12 for a round-robin tournament.
From 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., participants will be able to hang out with their hockey heroes through the skills competition, autograph session and a meet and greet session.
The tournament will also host a celebrity hockey game at 2 p.m.
Simmonds says it’s most important that the players mix and mingle with the kids throughout the entire day.
The key is to inspire the youth to pursue their hockey dreams, just as they did.
"When I was younger, I went to a hockey camp and I met Kevin Weekes. For me, I’ll remember that day for the rest of my life," said Simmonds.
"This will be the same thing to them. Allowing players to come out, [the kids] can see we are all real people too and they’ll be able to say ‘If they can do it, we can do it.’"
Some of the professional hockey players attending the event include Drew Doughty from the Los Angeles Kings, Michael Del Zotto from the Nashville Predators, Malcolm Subban from the Boston Bruins, and Jordan Subban from the Vancouver Canucks.
Simmonds said that it was easy to call up his NHL buddies for the event because they all grew up playing hockey in Toronto.
"I have a large family, so for my parents it was tough," said Simmonds.
"When I’m playing hockey, I was probably taking the majority of the budget. I also got a lot of help and I realized if I didn’t get the help that I received, I wouldn’t be where I am now."
Hockey parents are now spending thousands of dollars each year to send their kids to play in an organized hockey league. Not only do they worry about registration fees, but parents also have to consider game fees, spectator fees, cost of equipment and travel costs for away tournaments.
Funds raised for Wayne’s Road Warriors ball hockey tournament will help pay the registration fees for young players looking to play ice hockey in the minor leagues next season.
Simmonds founded Wayne’s Road Hockey Warriors (WRHW) in 2012 with his best friend, Brandon Sinclair to provide opportunities for young hockey players who want to pursue their love for the sport.
For more information about WRHW and this weekend’s charity tournament, visit the official website at waynesroadhockeywarriors.com.
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