McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective: Prince Albert Raiders
Prince Albert, Sask.- It was an afternoon where the hushed tones of adult voices and beeping of medical equipment were replaced with laughter, stories and games.
In early February, several members of the Raiders spent the day visiting young patients in the pediatric unit of Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital.
“We gave them mini sticks and a little mini stick puck and we tried to teach them how to play some hockey,” Captain Eric Johnston recalled. “Then we read a couple of stories to them. It was really good to see the big smile on their faces. They loved it.
“It makes you really think about it because you put yourself in those shoes,” Johnston said. “If you think you’re having a bad day, then it could definitely be a lot worse, those kids are dealing with that sickness every day.”
That connection went beyond the walls of the hospital for a pair of young patients, Carter and Bryce.
When the boys were feeling up to it, they visited the Art Hauser Centre to tour the Raiders’ dressing room, meet the team again and sit down with Johnston and alternate captain Sloan Stanick to create special name bars for Prince Albert’s Kid Takeover Night jerseys.
“They were awesome,” Stanick said. “It was pretty special to get to do the one design with him (Carter) and show him around the rink and everything. They’re really smart young kids and they enjoyed it a lot. We just kind of got to sit back and help them pick the colors and their creative minds just did the rest.”
Other kids from the hospital and from around the city helped design the rest of the name bars and contributed other art to the special game, which saw proceeds directly benefit the Boreal Healthcare Foundation and the Victoria Hospital Pediatric Unit.
Bryce and Carter were on hand for puck drop, and Stanick netted a hat trick in the 5-2 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings- seeking out his new friend in the crowd and pointing to Carter with a grin after lightning the lamp.
“I could see him and his mom smiling, that made my day and I think it made our team’s day as well,” Stanick added. “We still talk about it (the hospital visit) and still think about them quite a bit. Definitely something to be very grateful to be a part of.”
Stan picks up his 25th of the season! https://t.co/0Ox026IRi5 pic.twitter.com/KQhtI9cvr1
— Prince Albert Raiders (@PARaidersHockey) February 25, 2024
The Victoria Hospital Pediatric Unit features 14 high-acuity beds for advanced care as well as an outpatient assessment and treatment area.
Hospital staff care for more than 1,500 children every year.
But the team wants them all to know the Raiders are in their corner.
“You never want anybody to be sick and you don’t want anybody to be hurt but just to be able to reach out to the community, it’s important,” Head Coach Jeff Truitt said. “Families go through some tough times. Maybe they know us, maybe they don’t. But it’s somebody new that wants to help or wants to try to be involved and maybe take their mind off of the sickness or the injury or whatnot. I hope it continues. I hope it grows, and more and more of our players will get to do this because it’s a life lesson too. When you walk away from everything, hopefully, you put somebody’s mind at ease, or maybe a smile or just a brief moment of, you know, ‘Hey, that’s a Raider’. That means everything.”
The Western Hockey League strives to promote and foster a welcoming environment in communities close to our 22 clubs in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Every team has the creative freedom to allow their players and staff to work with the organizations and groups that they are most passionate about. The end goal is to create and maintain long-lasting relationships and ongoing partnerships within their community.
Through the McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective, we aim to highlight these outstanding initiatives done by each club throughout the season.
Loading ...