Bridgeman and Babcock to serve as Hockey Gives Blood Player Ambassadors
Regina, Sask. – John Babcock and Kolten Bridgeman announced on Tuesday that they will be serving as Hockey Gives Blood volunteer player ambassadors for the 2024-25 season.
Babcock enters his third season as a player ambassador with Hockey Gives Blood while Bridgeman commits to the program for the first time. This season, both players will help encourage the community to download the GiveBlood app and book an appointment to give blood at the Canadian Blood Services donor centre located at 4180 Albert Street.
“I’m very excited and honoured to be a representative of the Hockey Gives Blood foundation,” Bridgeman said. “I’m looking forward to getting started this year. It’s great that we can help people who are in need of blood and also influence the community to donate as well.”
“Cancer is something that’s effected my close family, friends, and loved ones, and this year I’ll be donating plasma,” Babcock said. “The reason why I stayed with the HGB program is to raise awareness, and to help prevention in the long run.”
They will also encourage their teammates and anyone between the ages of 17-35 to join Canadian Blood Services stem cell registry.
“It’s great to see a veteran player ambassador like John working alongside Kolten this upcoming season,” Hockey Gives Blood President Stu Middleton said. “Both are big, strong and physical defencemen who clearly have a softer side when it comes to supporting the Canadian Blood Services and helping out in the community.”
Hockey Gives Blood’s first Regina Pats player ambassador was Logan Nijhoff during the 2020-21 season. Nijhoff was the recipient of the 2022 Dayna Brons Honorary Award which recognizes an individual from Canada’s hockey community who exhibits outstanding dedication towards patients who rely on blood and stem cell products in Canada.
Nijhoff paved the way for other Pats players to join HGB such as Connor Bedard, Zack Stringer, Parker Berge and Tanner Howe. The Pats have also had an important partnership with HGB over the last three seasons, donating blood on multiple occasions, including a full team blood donation last fall.
Hockey Gives Blood is a non-profit society that has partnered with the Canadian Blood Services in an effort to engage and educate the hockey community about the importance of blood, stem cell and financial donation.
The inspiration for this group came from two separate events; the first being the death of Tom Middleton (father of Stu Middleton, cofounder) and the second being the Humboldt Broncos tragedy. Stu’s father was killed on the Trans-Canada Highway while en route to one his Junior games in 2000. Stu’s teammates and the local hockey community helped him through that difficult time just as Canadians witnessed the hockey community rallying together to help those affected by the accident in Humboldt. In wake of the 2018 tragedy, Hockey Gives Blood set out to build something that is positive, is long-lasting, and is a tool for the hockey community to make a positive impact at every level.
The team is comprised of former players who believe Hockey Gives Blood has the potential to be a leader in sport benevolence. As passionate as they are about hockey, they are just as enthusiastic about this incredible movement!
Every year 100,000 new donors are needed in Canada with someone needing blood every sixty seconds. Half of all Canadians will either need blood or know someone who will need blood at some point in their lives. Yet only four percent of Canadians donate. There are approximately 1000 Canadians waiting for a stem cell transplant to save or improve their life. A patient battling leukemia can use up to 8 units of blood per week during treatment. A stem cell transplant can help treat over 80 diseases and disorders including leukemia, lymphoma and aplastic anemia.
Those wishing to donate blood can check their eligibility at https://myaccount.blood.ca/en/eligibility-quiz. You must be between the aged of 17-35 to join Canadian Blood Services stem cell registry. Book an appointment or learn more at blood.ca/HGB.
