The doors of the Sno-King Ice Arena in Snoqualmie, Wash., opened on June 17 and 18 as players warmed up to get involved in the 2023 Seattle Puckathon event. The event consisted of a series of eight teams playing against each other to help raise money to give younger generations a way to live and enjoy the sport, worry-free. All funds raised will go to The One Roof Foundation’s programs that help support underrepresented youth and get them involved with hockey.
Tournament director David Mosbach organized the event himself. According to Mosbach, the event ran about 16 hours, including games, ice cuts, and warmup times.
“I love hockey, and it’s given me a lot in my life, my friends, my health, my mental health,” Mosbach said. “I figured the best thing I could do was organize a tournament for charity.”
According to Mosbach, he was introduced to the One Roof Foundation by Sound Of Hockey‘s own John Barr. Barr was the team organizer for Team Sound Of Hockey in the event. He is also a member of the One Roof Foundation’s board.
“Getting access to hockey for kids is a challenge,” Barr said. “I love hockey, and it’s given me a lot of return and joy in my life.” Team Sound Of Hockey played seven periods in the event.
“I think it’s a great opportunity and a great event, and we can make it bigger and better,” Barr said. “It’s a good time for a good cause.”
Overall, the game slot was for two hours and had a total of 18 players between both teams. Jordan Fitzgibbon was one of the players also involved in the charity event on Barr’s team.
“I hope it gives other people some other outlet or something interesting to do and makes everyone feel welcome to play hockey,” Fitzgibbon said. “Thanks David for organizing the event, it’s been a lot of fun so far.”
The One Roof Foundation is helping the community in more ways than one. Jas Baziuk, the program manager for social impact operations for the Seattle Kraken, attended the event.
“It’s been really different and really fun,” Baziuk said. “A lot of the work that we’ve been doing so far has been towards people who maybe didn’t know what hockey was. It’s a big part of what One Roof does, is introducing kids and even adults to hockey for the first time.”
This year’s Seattle Puckathon was the first such event organized in conjunction with One Roof, according to Baziuk, but there is a chance for more opportunities to come up in the future.
“Ultimately I’d like to see the participation double in 10 years… it would require more ice and it would require more families participating, but I think there’s an opportunity there,” Barr said. “I didn’t grow up with hockey, and I fell in love with it as an adult. I’m hoping other people have the opportunity to fall in love with it.”
With the Seattle Kraken now in the National Hockey League for two full seasons, there have been a lot of new and old hockey fans joining together to see where the team will go next. The One Roof Foundation, started by the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena, has a goal to ensure all people in the region have a roof over their heads, the ability to enjoy hockey, and fresh air to breathe.
“We’re also working on youth homeless work and environmental justice work and just making everybody in the area feel like they’re a part of our family and have access to the things that everybody else has access to,” Baziuk said. “We’re just trying to be a home for everyone.”
As of the time of writing, the Seattle Puckathon 2023 has raised $11,688.53. Their fundraiser website can be found here.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks