Charity hockey game for Chron’s
Like Bartley and Hunt, most players who took part in the charity were from the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows area, and most had played with the two in Ridge Meadows minor hockey. Many still play college or pro and the rosters were filled out with current Ridge Meadow Flames. Another headliner was local Ben Payne.
Payne plays in Germany with the Zweibrucken Hornets now but he had a successful junior career in the BCHL. He went on to play college hockey before starting a pro hockey career in France. It’s Payne’s encounter with fistulizing Crohn’s disease that inspired the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Hockey Classic.
In 2013, Payne had finished his college career in Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Communications and Public Relations, and was playing in France when illness forced him back to Canada. Payne was diagnosed with fistulizing Crohn’s and had surgery at St. Paul’s, where a portion of his small intestine was removed.
He regained his strength and signed in Germany, where he led his league in points last season, his first there. He must continue to take medications but appears to have turned a corner.
“The surgery made me a new person,” he’s told the Maple Ridge Times. “I was in the best shape of my life this season. I did very well personally and the team did very well at the same time, so it was a huge bounce-back year – the best year I’ve had in many years.”
Hockey players help
He’s now determined to help others suffering from an illness that continues to grow, it zeros in on adolescents and young adults but the rate among children in Canada has almost doubled in the past 20 years. By the time he was ready to return to his hockey life he realized he was lucky but that many still struggled with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and research funding was needed.
Payne is close friends with Bartley and the two played together on their way up the ranks. They got together last year and along with the help of a plethora of volunteer organizers, including family, and the help of Chron’s and Colitis Canada (you can donate here) put on the event. It was a great success and raised over $5,000 and they decided to keep doing it.
Both say they are grateful to be able to contribute to the cause and take part in an evening of hockey fun in their hometown. Bartley is clearly proud of Payne for such a great comeback. For the Nashville Predator defenceman, joining with his friend for a good cause has been a labour of love.
“His stats from Europe only show a portion of the strides he’s made from overcoming this disease,” Bartley told the Times. “It takes a strong person to battle back from something so severe, and to travel across the world and play professional hockey is nothing short of great. It’s a testament to Ben’s character and his willingness to go after his dream, regardless of the circumstances.”
Team Payne vs. Team Bartley
It was Team Payne versus Team Bartley but this night the final score didn’t matter. One team won, 9-7, but the cause and the fans — the arena was full — were the real winners. There were dozens of happy Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Assoc. players there who watched with family and zipped about doing what little ones do at arenas when not on the ice.
“Oh, the kids had a really great time,” Lindsay Pearse, mother of two young hockey players, told Digital Journal on the way out. “It’s wonderful the players give their time and the money raised is great, but also my kids had a ball. They love seeing such good hockey players.”
Pearse’s eight-year-old son, Eli, won an autographed Predator stick and her other son Jake, 7, had so much fun that Mom said he wasn’t even jealous about his brother getting a stick. Jake liked seeing NHL players “and really fast skaters” up close and added that he enjoyed “running around with my friend from my hockey team.”
Jake’s friend from his Ridge Meadows team, Josh, was even more impressed with the evening. “It was the best night of my life,” Josh said.
Hockey Dad gives back
There was a lot of skill on display with players like Victor’s brother Mitch Bartley, who had a great career with the Vancouver Giants. Others included Jeff Martens, whose bounced around a number of pro leagues including the ECHL, and NCAA players Regan Soquila, Tim Daly and Brian Kang.
Two of the better performances were turned in by the two goalies. One was another NCAA player, Jeff Smith, who plays for the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, the other Nick McBride of the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL; last season the talented McBride was one of just four goalies with Hockey Canada’s National U18 team.
Naturally Hunt and Bartley stood out. Hunt has played some with the Oilers in the NHL and in 2014-15 was fourth in points for a defenceman (19-32-51) in the AHL with the Oklahoma City Barons, despite missing 14 games while up with the big club. Bartley has played 111 NHL games for the Preds and this season played in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time.
The event was wonderfully emceed by a prominent Ridge Meadows sporting figure, Greg Seven-Bodnarchuk, and dozens of signed Nashville Predators sticks, hats and shirts were given away in draws, or just handed to kids.
A highlight that reflected the spirit of the night came with the final draw, for the winner of the 50/50 raffle. Fan and hockey Dad, Paul Craik won the $367 pot – and promptly donated it back to the charity. No final tally on how much was raised but the number, like the event, is sure to be a good one.
