Youth Hockey Teams Raise Over $20,000 for Gillette Children's

Youth hockey teams throughout Minnesota came together this season to score a different kind of goal – raising $20,722.95 to support Gillette Children’s through the Blaze Hockey Kids4Kids program.

Blaze Hockey Kids4Kids, an award-winning collaboration between Blaze Credit Union, the Minnesota Wild and Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, encourages youth hockey teams to use their own creative ideas to raise awareness and funds for Gillette Children’s in St. Paul. This is the seventh year for the program which was introduced during the Wild’s 2017-2018 season and over $200,000 has been raised for Gillette Children’s.

Teams that raised $500 or more qualified for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind team party in a suite to see the Minnesota Wild vs. the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, March 29. The PeeWee C team from Winona was selected at random from all eligible teams to receive the party, which also included rides on the Minnesota Wild Zamboni and a meet-and-greet with Jared Spurgeon and his teammates. 

Roseville Bantam B1 team led the overall fundraising efforts for the season, bringing in $17,581 for Hockey Kids4Kids. In addition to the money raised by the teams, the Minnesota Wild Foundation made a $5,000 contribution to Hockey Kids4Kids bringing the grand total to $25,722.95 raised for Gillette Children’s.

“Hockey Kids4Kids is all about creating opportunities for local youth hockey teams in Minnesota to learn about giving back and to understand the importance of supporting those in our communities who might be less fortunate,” said Blaze CEO/President, Dan Stoltz. “Every year, our Hockey Kids4Kids teams impress us with their commitment, their creativity and their generosity. We thank every player, coach, manager and team who put in the time and effort to support the work that Gillette Children’s does.”

Hockey Kids4Kids is an annual program open to youth hockey teams in Minnesota certified by Minnesota Hockey and/or the Minnesota State High School League.