The Nashville Predators hope to beat the Chicago Blackhawks tonight (Thursday, Oct. 29), but the hockey game is already a winner for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and families fighting childhood cancer.

The Predators will donate to Children’s Hospital 25 percent of the proceeds for all single game tickets sold for tonight’s game. And to support the National Hockey League’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, Predators coaches will don lavender ties and players will sport Hockey Fights Cancer stickers on their helmets. A silent-auction table will offer themed Mystery Pucks and Mystery Sticks, as well as Hockey Fights Cancer bracelets, Children’s Hospital team-autographed hats, a hot-air balloon ride and tickets to a suite for the Nov. 25 Miley Cyrus concert at Sommet Center.

Trace Kimler, 13, a local Predators fan and cancer patient, will serve as Child Ambassador for the game. Kimler will drop the puck in a pre-game ceremonial faceoff and will be named “Mayor of Smashville,” welcoming the team back on the ice with an air-raid siren after the first intermission.

Predators’ right wing JP Dumont has offered his personal suite to several Children's Hospital patients and their families, who will meet players after the game. And intermission entertainment will be provided by Soul Incision, a band comprised entirely of Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty and staff. In addition, a 4-year-old cancer patient at Children’s Hospital will sit on the Predators’ bench during pre-game warm-ups.

The game, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Sommet Center, is the latest in a vibrant partnership between the NHL team and Children’s Hospital, a nationally ranked provider of pediatric health care and research facility.

Hockey Fights Cancer is a joint initiative created by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players Association. The goal is to raise money and awareness for national and local organizations involved in cancer care and research. To date, the initiative has raised more than $10.5 million for cancer research and care.

To buy single-game tickets, call (615) 770-PUCK (7825). For more information about Children’s Hospital, go to www.vanderbiltchildrens.org.

 

Media Inquiries:
Laurie Holloway
Public Affairs Manager, Children's Hospital
Monroe Carell, Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
Phone: 615-322-4747
Email: laurie.e.holloway@vanderbilt.edu
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/npa