When the women’s ice hockey team takes to the ice on Saturday, Feb. 2, they will be wearing different uniforms in honor of their annual charity game. This year’s event aims to raise money for Austin’s Playroom Project, an initiative of the Mario Lemieux Foundation. All proceeds will directly support the cause. With just a few days left before the game, the team has already exceeded their fundraising goal of $4,000 and it hopes to raise even more before the game’s final horn.
For this year’s game, the women’s ice hockey team chose to support the Mario Lemieux Foundation, specifically Austin’s Playroom Project, for various reasons. The Mario Lemieux Foundation was founded in 1993 by the all-time hockey great Mario Lemieux and his wife, Nathalie. Lemieux, who played 17 seasons in the NHL between 1984 and 2006, is now the owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins won two Stanley Cups with Lemieux as captain, and three with him as owner, making him the only person to have his name on the famed trophy as both a skater and an owner. The foundation works to raise money for cancer research and patient care.
Lemieux’s foundation is personal for him: he is a cancer survivor himself, and his organization’s goals were borne of personal experience. In 1996, Mario and Nathalie’s son, Austin, was born prematurely and spent 71 days in a neonatal intensive care unit as a result. At the time, their two daughters were toddlers, and the Lemieux family found that while they spent time caring for Austin, there was nothing in the hospital to distract Austin’s young sisters. This experience led them to the realization that playrooms were needed, hence the seed of an idea for the Austin’s Playroom Project. Since then, playrooms have been incorporated into over 30 hospitals in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These playrooms have also spread to multiple military hospitals throughout the United States.
The money raised in this year’s charity game will be put toward building more playrooms that will provide families with safe and comfortable healing environments during stressful or extended hospital stays.
In order to raise money for the event, the Continentals set up a donation page as well as an online raffle. So far, the team has raised over double their $300 goal in donations on the page, and over $4,000 in raffle tickets. The online raffle will available until Feb. 2 at 3:30 PM. The raffle items include two front row glass tickets to the
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins game on March 10 in Pittsburgh, PA, a signed Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, a signed Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, a signed Mario Lemieux Hamilton jersey, various gift card items, an assorted donation basket from Utica Coffee, and a Hamilton women’s hockey fan package (which includes a jersey, a puck and a signed stick.)
Tickets can be purchased online (https://go.rallyup.com/hamiltonwomenshockey/Campaign). T-shirts for the event will also be sold during the game. The raffle drawing will take place at 4:00 PM on Saturday, Feb. 2 during the charity game. Winners will be notified soon after.
The Continentals will also welcome a special guest before the game: Lauren Lemieux, one of Austin’s sisters and daughter of Mario Lemieux, who plans to attend and partake in the ceremonial puck drop at the start of the game.
With an overall record of 10–6–2 so far this season, the Continentals hope to break their two game losing streak this weekend with back-to-back games against Bowdoin. Their performance may be buoyed by their considerable fundraising efforts.
The charity game will take place on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3:00 PM, and the Continentals also play on Friday, Feb. 1 at 7:00 PM. Both games are at the Russell Sage Ice rink against the Bowdoin College Polar Bears.
