Thanks to amazing support from the community, the epic ‘Battle of the Badges’ hockey game between Red Deer RCMP and Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) on April 20th raised approximately $35,000 for the players and families of the Humboldt Broncos.
The event began with a fundraising barbeque in the Servus Arena parking lot, followed by a silent auction and raffles for several high-end prizes including a signed Connor McDavid jersey valued at $2,500.
The hockey game kicked off with a ceremonial puck drop by Deborah Carpenter, the sister of Humboldt Broncos coach Darcy Haugan, who lost his life in the collision. Between the first and second periods, Thomas Miller performed a tribute song he wrote after the tragedy; Miller is a scout for the Red Deer Rebels.
At the end of the second period, RDES was up on the RCMP team by one goal, but Emergency Services rallied in the third period to end the game with a score of 10 to 5 for Emergency Services.
“The community support was stupendous in every way, between donations, offers of service from volunteers and a truly heart-warming community turnout at the game,” said Superintendent Ken Foster of the Red Deer RCMP. “Among our own members and among the public, we kept hearing that people felt the need to help in some way. This event gave people the opportunity to take action and send that message from Red Deer to Humboldt that we stand with them in their pain.”
“As a new comer to the community, I am overwhelmed by the support that this city gave. I was equally impressed by the degree of professionalism and pride that all the players showed throughout the event”, said Chief Ken McMullen, Emergency Services Manager. “What may not be as well known, was the fact that this all came together in a matter of days and for that we need to thank and recognize the volunteers from both services that put a tremendous amount of effort forward to ensure the event’s success.”
RCMP and RDES thank the community for their support, and will publish a full list of event sponsors soon. All funds raised will go to the victims and families impacted by the tragic collision. Superintendent Foster would also like to extend his thanks to Constable Kyle Smeltzer, Constable Greg Douglas, Kevin Stelmaschuk and Mark Stadnick and for their work in proposing and organizing this charity game.
-Submitted by Red Deer RCMP