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- The importance of public ice-time, NHL Referee Dan O'Rourke to bike 2,700 miles to help blind people & The tragic death of Mike Hammond &
The importance of public ice-time, NHL Referee Dan O'Rourke to bike 2,700 miles to help blind people & The tragic death of Mike Hammond &
Your all-in-one innovation + positive impact + culture news in hockey.
Tom Sychterz
August 04, 2023
Dear Hockey of Tomorrow reader,
Hope you did not miss us too much, we took a little break last week.
For the new subscribers, we’re happy you joined the other 12,000+ members within our positive-impact hockey community.
Let’s jump in.
FEATURED PIECE
Our featured piece this week covers the lovely newsletter and website To Hockey With Love.
If you’re not familiar with them, the two writers have been known to discuss challenging hockey topics. They are the epitome of grassroots hockey love, so they deserved this belated shout out.
MUST READS
The Rink of Dreams, ever heard of it? A magical place that was a brainchild of David Weiss, an entrepreneur and philanthropist from the Toronto area. He was a little boy when he dreamt of having his own rink in his backyard where he could play during the winter. The dream is now a reality!
We can never talk enough about the importance of public ice-time and its impact on the hockey community in general. Our contributor Max Rosenthal spoke with Olympian and a Head of Strength and Conditioning, Rachel Llanes, about how it is a struggle for hockey players to find open ice time…and why Public Gretzky Skates are sometimes the only option if you want to practice.
....+ two stories that haven't been covered yet on our platform
The tragic death of Mike Hammond
NHL referee will bike more than 2,700 miles to raise money for blind people
The tragic death of Mike Hammond
This one is not in the fun news category.
Great Britain Ice Hockey Star Mike Hammond tragically passed away in a car accident in Vancouver on July 19th.
He was 33 years old.
Hammond was an integral part of British Ice Hockey & proudly represented his country at the international level.
He made his debut with the national team back in 2018, helping clinch the gold medal in Division 1 - Group A at the International Ice Hockey Federation world championships.
RIP, Mike.
NHL referee Dan O’Rourke to bike from Santa Monica to Chicago to help blind people
Yes, you read that right.
A 2,700 mile ride that means a whole lot.
O’Rourke has teamed up with the National Federation of the Blind for a 42-day ride.
He will start his route on July 27th , and ending it on September 6th, not so long before he will get ready for his 25th season as an NHL linesman.
His father, Tom, was diagnosed with a rare disease called ‘Retinis Pigmentosa’' that progressively gets worse. He is partially blind.
Bill (left) with Dan (right) O’Rourke. (Photo courtesy of Dan O’Rourke)
We love this kind of chutzpah, as the money will go directly to the federation, with an ultimate goal of raising 250,000$.
That’s it for this edition of the Hockey of Tomorrow newsletter. As we continue to highlight the best, most diverse, and most interesting, off-ice hockey stories, we would appreciate any feedback you might have.
Thanks again for reading this new edition of Hockey of Tomorrow.
Tom Sychterz, Founder
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