Hockey Helps the Homeless (HHTH) is a volunteer-driven charitable organization established in 1996 with offices in Richmond Hill and Montreal, Canada. HHTH hosts all-day pro-am tournaments across Canadian cities where all funds raised locally stay local to benefit homeless support agencies. Former NHL player Mike Gartner is the honorary chairman.
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Past participating NHL alumni and Olympians include Megan Bozek, Mike Comrie, Shayne Corson, Theo Fleury, Jayna Hefford, Kris King, Georges Laraque, Gary Leeman, Brad May, Meaghan Mikkelson, Caroline Ouellette, Gary Roberts, Natalie Spooner, Steven Stamkos, P.J. Stock, Darcy Tucker, and Todd Warriner.
History
The organization was established by a group of Toronto businessmen in 1996, and was called Hockey for the Homeless. The tournament has received media exposure from numerous outlets, including Hockey Night in Canada. On September 19, 2011, the organization changed its named from Hockey for the Homeless to Hockey Helps the Homeless. The reason for the name change was to ensure clarity in its purpose. As of 2012, Hockey Helps the Homeless has raised over $3.5 million in donations.
Tournament structure
The organization hosts all-day pro-am tournaments, in which registered participants have at least two NHL alumni (men’s) or CWHL alumni and/or Olympians (women’s) on their teams. Events are held during the months of November to February. Cities have included Toronto, Markham/Stouffville, Kitchener-Waterloo, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, London and Barrie. In November 2011, Hockey Helps the Homeless featured its first women's hockey tournament. The event was hosted in the Greater Toronto Area at the Magna Centre in Newmarket, Ontario. Said tournament involved numerous players from the Burlington Barracudas of the CWHL. Another women’s tournament was hosted in Ottawa in April 2012 and featured players from the Montreal Stars and the McGill Martlets. A typical event involves the single-day hockey tournament, lunchtime Hot Stove, reception dinner and silent auction. Registered players pay a fee to participate, and with corporate sponsorship, funds raised help support charities for the homeless in the host city.
Ottawa
Bell Sensplex in Kanata, Ontario hosted the second annual tournament in April 2011. The 2011 edition featured the first women’s tournament in Ottawa. Players such as Julie Chu, Lisa-Marie Breton, Alyssa Cecere, Marie-Philip Poulin, Gillian Ferrari, Caroline Ouellette and Catherine Ward participated. McGill Martlets alumni Ann-Sophie Bettez and Alyssa Cecere also played in the event. In one of the tournament contests, Catherine Ward was the goaltender. The women's tournament was won by the Ottawa Mission. Ottawa Senators alumni Laurie Boschman and Brad Marsh participated in the men's tournament, along with Rick Smith, a member of the Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup team. Former Toronto Maple Leafs alumni Dan Daoust, Tom Fergus and Mark Osborne also participated.
Toronto
On November 18, 2011, Vancouver Winter Games participant Anniina Rajahuhta was one of several Burlington Barracudas players (including Christina Kessler, Shannon Moulson, Ashley Stephenson, Jana Harrigan, Amanda Shaw, Samantha Shirley, Amanda Parkins, and Lindsay Vine) who competed in the first ever Hockey Helps The Homeless Women's Tournament. Said tournament was held at the Magna Centre in Newmarket, Ontario.
Vancouver
UBC Thunderbird Arena hosted the third annual tournament on November 25, 2011. Vancouver Canucks alumni including Greg Adams, Garth Butcher, Mark Lofthouse, Gary Nylund, Moe Lemay and Larry Melnyk participated. In Vancouver, the tournament raised funds for RainCity Housing and Support Society, along with Lookout Society. Since its inception, the Vancouver tournament has raised $165,000.