McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective: Red Deer Rebels
Red Deer, Alta.- Teddy bear toss games have become a beloved staple in the WHL, but on February 19, different fuzzy, comforting objects rained down onto the ice at the Peavey Mart Centrium.
The team’s annual Sockey Day event, in partnership with United Way Central Alberta, sees fans toss pairs of socks onto the ice to be collected and distributed to families and individuals in need.
This year, a record-breaking 4,813 pairs of socks- from tiny pairs for babies to sturdy adult work sets- were donated.
“I’ve never been a part of that before,” Rebels forward Ollie Josephson said of the spectacle and crowd of nearly 7,000 fans. “I didn’t know it was that many, that’s really cool. It’s obviously great to see people get behind it. They all support the cause, which is nice to see in the community here.”
In the weeks leading up to the sock toss, more than 30 other businesses in the area held sock-collection drives, with collected donations brought to the arena for fans to throw on the big day.
For the United Way, it’s a joyous event that highlights a significant need in the province right now.
“Whether it’s poverty, new immigrants, folks who just don’t have those basics, there’s a lot of them,” United Way Central Alberta CEO Chelsea O’Donoghue said. “38,000 People in Red Deer (in 2023, according to Stats Canada) can’t meet their basic needs.
It doesn’t take into consideration things like inflation that we’ve dealt with this year and rising cost of living. So when you’re on that poverty line or just below the poverty line it’s just so hard to meet those needs, right? So this is a way that we can help support people in their time of need, directly and immediately.”
The socks have been gathered and sorted, ready to be distributed to 15 agencies in Red Deer and the surrounding area this week.
“It’s just a phenomenal response and we’re so proud,” O’Donoghue added. “We couldn’t do without the Rebels.”
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.