NASHVILLE — In a year where so much has been different, there are thankfully some things that remain the same.
The Nashville Predators and the NHL have always been committed to raising funds and awareness for the fight against cancer and this year is no different. While there were no games in November to attend and no “Hockey Fights Cancer” nights at Bridgestone Arena that have become a tradition, the Predators continued to raise money with the Smashville Donates campaign.
But why stop there? The Predators have decided to extend the campaign in the fight against cancer to benefit the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund Presented by Twice Daily and they need your help.
Tuesday has been deemed “Hockey Fights Cancer Day” on ESPN 102.5 The Game to help drive those efforts, with Predators General Manager David Poile, Head Coach John Hynes and Vice President of Community Relations Rebecca King joining Darren, Daunic & Chase from 12-1 p.m. (CT), providing updates on the Preds on and off the ice. Those chats will be on-air and will also be streamed live to the Preds Facebook page. Broadcasters Chris Mason (8:30 am) and Hal Gill (5:30 pm) will make appearances as well, with the 2020-21 NHL season just around the corner.
“Each year the NHL has Hockey Fights Cancer Month and it’s usually around a game,” Predators Vice President of Community Relations Rebecca King said. “Without having games in November, we decided to make it a month-long campaign. We used our social media to highlight heroes who usually get to come to the game and then we had more fundraising mechanisms to raise funds, but as the campaign came to a close we thought ‘why not elongate it and continue to raise money?’
“And so we created a charity go-fund-me campaign that we were trying to make go viral to collect $36,500 before the end of the year in just another way to engage our fan base. I think the nice thing about go-fund-me is you can see the impact you’re making and the growth of the fund. It was something we hadn’t done before and we figured of all causes, the 365 fund was a great way to test it out and engage our fans.”
The goal for the GoFundMe is $36,500 and will go directly to the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund, which was founded by Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne and former Predators captain Shea Weber. The fund raises awareness and funds for vital cancer research that takes place at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
“When the fund was started, we chatted with Shea and Pekka and wanted to create this legacy that would live way beyond their time in Nashville and something that would impact the kids beyond just cancer research,” King said. “The name is for many reasons, but one is because it’s a year-round campaign. It’s not just the one time in November, we do a second game in the spring, but it’s all year long we’re trying to do things to engage with these kids and raise money and raise awareness. We can leverage the assets and the branding of the Nashville Predators to bring attention to the cause, but we also have the interaction with the patient. And when I say the interaction with the patient, it goes beyond just a visit and an autograph. Our players befriend some of the families.”
The 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund, which was created by Rinne and Weber in the 2012-13 season, has raised millions of dollars for cancer research and awareness. Those numbers wouldn’t be possible without a unique partnership between the Predators and their fans.
“I think when the team started we were very grass-roots and we had the intention of reaching one fan at a time,” King said. “When the team became successful and we’ve been around for a few years, that mentality has never changed. We like to have that direct contact with all of our fans and build relationships. Our fans recognize that. You could see it when we had the lockout. Our organization was more visible and more active than we had ever been, and when the season resumed after the lockout it was like we never went away. And the fans were just so appreciative that we didn’t tuck away and hide. We did more. We gave back more. We were more involved in community efforts. I think with the popularity of the team, that’s always been our mentality. There’s always more that we can do.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe campaign by following this link: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/365fund
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