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 Childrens Hospital 25 percent of the
proceeds for all single game tickets sold for tonights game. And to
support the National Hockey Leagues 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, Childrens
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 Childrens 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 Childrens
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 Childrens Hospital, go to
www.vanderbiltchildrens.org.