The New York Islanders will once again drop the gloves against cancer, Sunday, Oct. 30 when the team hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs for the annual Hockey Fights Cancer night at Barclays Center. The team will wear a special lavender jersey during warmups that fans will have the chance to bid on in an auction prior to the game. The auction is currently open online (click here) and runs through November 3rd with all of the proceeds benefitting cancer research.
In addition to the specialty jerseys, Islander players will also wear Hockey Fights Cancer t-shirts, hats, pins and ties. The coaching staff and MSG Network Islanders broadcasters will wear the same ties and pins during the game. Islanders players will also tape their sticks with lavender tape in honor of the night.
Sunday Night’s Hockey Fights Cancer game is the main night for Hockey Fights Cancer month, which raises awareness and money to support the ongoing fight to end cancer. The Islanders held Childhood Cancer Awareness Night on 10/21, Breast Cancer Awareness on 10/23, Prostate Cancer Awareness Night on 10/26 and will hold Blood Cancer Awareness Night on 11/3 along with “Movember” which will continue throughout the month of November.
In conjunction with “Stand Up to Cancer” a groundbreaking initiative created to accelerate innovative cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now, the fans in attendance on Oct. 30 will have the opportunity to tell everyone who they “Stand Up For” during an in-game place card recognition presentation.
The Islanders will also host children battling cancer at each game throughout the entire month. The October 30th Hockey Fights Cancer Night will include a ceremonial puck drop with young children currently in the middle of their cancer battles.
Fundraisers for the month have included:
– Hockey Fights Cancer Warm Up Jersey Auction
– Movember (run through November): Members of the Islanders team will grow mustaches in honor of raising awareness and funding to end prostate cancer. Throughout the entire month of November the Islanders players will ask fans to support them as they raise money for the cause.
In addition to the fundraisers, the Islanders have invited various cancer fighting organizations to help raise awareness for their organizations throughout the month of October and November. Each group has been invited to distribute information to fans at the game while educating fans about specific organizations. These groups include, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, American Cancer Society: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Stand Up to Cancer, Love Your Melon, Movember & DKMS.
Hockey Fights Cancer™ is an initiative founded in December 1998 by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association to raise money and awareness for hockey’s most important fight. The Hockey Fights Cancer initiative is supported by the National Hockey League Foundation, the NHL Foundation, players, NHL Member Clubs, NHL Alumni, the NHL Officials’ Association, Professional Hockey Trainers and Equipment Managers, corporate marketing partners, broadcast partners and fans throughout North America. To date, the Hockey Fights Cancer programs of the National Hockey League Foundation (in the US) and the NHL Foundation (in Canada), along with NHL supporters and fans, have donated more than $16 million to support the cancer programs of national and local cancer research institutions, children’s hospitals, player charities and local charities.
The Hockey Fights Cancer program is supported by NHL Member Clubs, NHL Alumni, the NHL Officials’ Association, Professional Hockey Trainers and Equipment Managers, corporate marketing partners, broadcast partners and fans throughout North America.”
Be sure to pack the Barclays Center on Sunday night, cheer on the Islanders and support the fight against cancer.
