Hockey community comes together to support victims of Nova Scotia wildfires
It didn’t take long for the gear to pile up at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre on Saturday.
Less than an hour into the fundraiser, many were coming in and dropping off hockey gear for players and families affected by the wildfires in Nova Scotia.
“We had one player bring in three sets of goalie gear. We’ve been getting everything -- rollerblades, skates, sticks, a little bit of everything,” said volunteer Jordan Evasuk-MacDonald.
Evasuk-MacDonald says he’s been in contact with families and players he has coached that have lost everything.
“There are some people that have lost everything and have to start from scratch, so I mean, any little bit we can do to help, hopefully make a difference,” said Evasuk-MacDonald.
It’s not just teams and players from Cape Breton offering to help.
Gear drop-off sites are set up across the province of Nova Scotia, from Yarmouth to Sydney, and the support has been pouring in.
“I was really blown away, but wasn’t overly surprised the way the hockey community has always supported one another. At times, it’s been overwhelming. It’s humbling to see the people that want to get involved,” said organizer Andre Lefebvre.
Lefebvre started the initiative, and so far, he’s heard from people across the country.
The Halifax Mooseheads and Cape Breton Eagles have chipped in. So have the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.
“They have some Nova Scotia connections with Drake Batherson and my friend Andrew Gordon is a scout down here for them as well, so they have all kinds of connections in the Maritimes. Again, I’m blown away but not surprised,” said Lefebvre
Gear drop-off locations include all Cleve’s locations in the Halifax Regional Municipality, the South End Community Centre in Sydney until June 16, and the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.